


The Nephilim Way

by EternallyProfound



Series: Downworld Reformation [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Clary Fray & Alec Lightwood Friendship, Endgame Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood, F/F, Multi, Slow Burn, city of ashes - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-07-28 14:29:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 63,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16243568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternallyProfound/pseuds/EternallyProfound
Summary: After losing both her mother and the mortal cup in the battle of Renwicks the future has a lot in store for Clary Fray, Valentine has bigger plans in the works, Jace faces trial by the Clave, and her feelings are changing. There are undeniable hardships in Clary's future but at least she has her family and friends at her back. Clizzy (Clary/ Isabelle), rated M for future chapters. Mortal Instruments/Shadowhunters AU. Now complete, part 1





	1. Despondent

The blank paper residing on her desk on the corner seemed to glare at her as if it were a grumpy cat, perched and waiting for food. It was definitely a weird occurrence for Clarissa Fray to refrain from what Simon would call "Arting" for any prolonged period of time, but the days following her mothers death had left her at place emotionally that she never thought she would have to be. As a child she had always pictured her mother immortal, surely the world wouldn't steal away one of the only people she held dear right?

However since becoming a shadowhunter she had begun to see that the world truly was a cruel place, full of cruel humans and creatures alike and she needed to learn how to defend herself.

That's why when Maryse Lightwood had proposed that both she and Luke stay at the institute, one so that Clary could learn more about who she was and how to be a Nephilim and two to provide extra hands to fend off the increasing demon attacks, they had both gladly accepted.

Now though, laying on her soft mattress with her quilt drawn over her, just like every other night she found she couldn't sleep. She had been handed so much information from Valentine about herself and about Jace she had desperately hoped to talk to her mother about everything and find some real answers, but now she never could.

It didn't help that Jace had been avoiding her as much as possible, she understood but it still hurt her that they hadn't been able to talk and resolve their emotional situation.

During the day she had taken to learning how to draw runes, what they meant and how they could assist her in battle, but her combat training had been delayed.

Deciding not to think too much more Clary decided to get out of bed. The clock on her bedside table gave away how early it really was and with a groan she grabbed some clothes from her drawer and set off for a shower.

She felt a little elevated and a lot more awake when she emerged from her bathroom, she rubbed her towel against her hair vigorously in a lazy attempt to dry it before scrutinising herself in the mirror. Aside from her messy hair and clean clothes she could see the tiredness and faint signs of deterioration. It's not like she didn't know she needed to help herself, she just didn't know how to.

Making her way down the hallway Clary stretched out her arms, her stomach rumbling. She entered the kitchen expecting to find it empty but was surprised to find Isabelle and Alec sitting at the breakfast bar.

"Good morning Clary" Isabelle smiled tiredly at her and motioned for her to sit down. Clary smiled back, grabbing a cup from the cupboard and pouring some coffee from the percolator before joining them.

"We were just discussing Jace's predicament" Alec said offhandedly, she knew what he meant of course. The Clave after receiving their report of the events that took place put in a request for a trial to be held in Idris. "We aren't really sure what we can do, if we can do anything and of course Jace refuses to discuss the topic, he's just content to ride the waves of the Claves discontent. We all know now that the Clave knows he's Valentines son there is no realistic way that they will take it easy on him.." he trailed off hanging his head, exasperation evident in his features.

"Jace didn't do anything notably wrong though, he fought to get back the mortal cup and to protect our mother even if in the end they were both lost.." she took a moment to steady her voice after saying this, comforted by Isabelle's hand softly covering her own. "The cup was just one of the mortal instruments though wasn't it? Didn't you say there was also a mirror and a sword that can invoke the truth? If they used the sword in the trial then they would know for certain that he's innocent right?" Clary looked to Alec for confirmation.

His features flattened for a moment, as if thinking, and then nodded once slowly.

"Alec! That could work! We have to talk to mom and dad if they send word to the Clave now they'll be able to change the request before it's fully processed!" Isabelle jumped up, eyes wide with excitement. She reminded Clary of a puppy in that moment which brought a sot smile to her face.

"It's okay Izzy I'll talk to them, it's early you and Clary should go grab some breakfast for everyone, oh and grab something for Magnus too pretty please" he smiled sweetly. Isabelle stared back flatly, hand perched on her protruding hip, her signature style.

"Fine but you owe me" with a wink and a flourish that was just Isabelle she grabbed the red-headed girls hand and quickly dragged her from the room and down the hallway in the direction of the entryway, leaving a smiling Alec to finish his coffee before his important conversation.

Clary and Isabelle conversed animatedly about runes and what possible training Clary might be doing first on their way to pick up breakfast bagels, as Isabelle had revealed shortly after they left the elevator.

"You sound like you're already learning loads Clary I'm really impressed, you're picking up runes quicker that I did!" Isabelle joked, handing over the money for their food and thanking the grinning boy behind the counter. His dark eyes seemed to scan Isabelle as she turned around with the food and Clary couldn't help but glare mildly at him.

"I actually really enjoy learning about them. I dunno, you'll probably think I'm weird but I feel like I have a strange connection with them" Clary rubbed her wrist nervously, she hadn't wanted to bring it up before but ever since meeting Isabelle she felt like she could trust the girl fully. There was something about her, how strong and loyal she was, that made her seem so trustworthy.

Isabelle gave Clary a thoughtful look, her luscious dark hair framing her face in a way that seemed almost angelic, her lips pursed together for a moment before she gave a shrug. "I don't see why you couldn't to be honest, I've seen Jace drop from heights that would make an ordinary shadowhunter squirm yet he's all-right. Maybe you're both just special." She smiled brightly as she said this and Clary blushed. It was a strange thought that Isabelle could so easily think she might be special. The thought stirred a warm feeling somewhere deep within her and she blushed faintly.

They arrived back at the institute with little else of interest happening, and by the time they reached the lounge next to the institutes kitchen Magnus Bane had already arrived and made himself comfortable next to Alec. Isabelle deposited the bag of bagels on the coffee table in front of her brother, ignoring his visibly uncomfortable stature. She noted the arm draped across the back of the chair behind him with a knowing smirk, and saying nothing sat down on the adjacent couch to quietly eat her bagel. Clary followed suit and grabbed hers from the bag and after an uncomfortable look in the direction of Jace, who sat quietly in the light of the fire, decided to sit next to Isabelle.

"Well now that everyone is here I guess I'll fill you all in on what's going to be happening over the next few days." he took a moment to make sure he garnered the attention of everyone in the room before he continued. "Obviously as you two know following our conversation this morning I went to speak with Mom and Dad, I debriefed them on your idea to convince the Clave to change the trial to trial by the soul sword and they agreed it's the best course of action. Magnus portalled them to Idris not long after so they could speak to the Inquisitor in person." Alec paused to smile at Magnus after saying this "So, I received a fire message from them and they have confirmed that the Clave has accepted. The Inquisitor will be coming with Mom and Dad when they come back from Idris tomorrow, she will likely try and question you before the trial which is set to be held the next day."

"If that's true, then I guess I have a better chance now, but don't get your hopes up. The Clave might still disappoint you yet" Jace said. He stretched and stood up, grabbing a bagel from the table before heading towards the door "Thanks though, I'll be training" and then he left through the open door, pausing only briefly to nod at Luke as he passed.

"Clary is it okay if we talk?" Luke asked from the doorway. "Of course, Luke" Clary said, moving to follow Luke to the next room. She wondered what he wanted to talk about, they had had a lengthy conversation a few days after her mother passed away about where they both were emotionally.

"Clary we need to talk about Jace" Luke started, sitting in the first chair he could find. "I'm concerned that you still haven't resolved your feelings about him and the situation you're both now in."

"Well.. You're right to be concerned about it I guess.. We haven't really talked, he's been avoiding me." she felt a little bit childish saying it. She knew she should have tried to speak to him about it by now, but honestly the thought scared her.

Luke sighed, giving her a stern look "you'll both have to deal with it some time, sooner rather than later. If Jace isn't coming to you and seems like he has no intention of broaching the subject then maybe you should consider approaching him." he smiled warmly "I know you'll do the right thing kiddo, trust me it will all work out in the end" and with that he left the room.

Clary sighed, she should have known this was coming. Maybe it was time to face her fears.


	2. Reconciliation

Clary approached the door of the training room with a silent caution. Just inside she could hear the faint clattering of training blades and the light footfalls that accompanied them. Leaning against the doorway of the large room she pushed the long red hair that had worked it's way to the side of her face behind her ear. The two boys paid her no attention as their blades clashed with desperate ferocity.

Alec stepped back and raised his blade to block Jace's downward swing and in return swung for the boy with his right fist. He missed only barely, and Jace took the opportunity to jump backwards, spinning his sword to line his toned arm. Both of the boys were sweating profusely, and how long they had already been sparring for was hard to say. Alec's hazel eyes rested on the boy before him and seconds later he lunged forward, blade slashing in a wild arc, but Jace had read his movements, he jumped and flipped forwards over the dark haired boy and with a swift kick to the back of the knee Alec went down. Before he could reach the floor Jace had grasped his arm firmly and pulled it behind his back, pinning the boy.

"You're getting slower Jace, normally you'd have had me down by now" Alec groaned releasing his muscles. With a laugh Jace released his grip allowing the taller boy to slide to the floor.

"Yeah you're not so bad, but we both know I'm the best" he grinned and wiped the back of his had across his forehead, pushing the dirty blonde hair to the side as he did so.

"Did you come here to train Clary? Here Alec give her your training blade" Jace said unexpectedly, and not wanting to ruin the happiness that seemed to be infecting him Clary stepped forward and took the offered seraph blade.

"I need to go have a shower and grab something to eat anyway, I'll talk to you later" Alec smiled, stretching out his long arms and rolling out his shoulders before he left.

"Have fun with Magnus" Jace called after him, laughing at the muffled response that emitted from the hallway.

Clary set her feet apart and held up the training blade the way Jace had shown her how to before, she raised her left hand with an open palm, ready to strike or steady her blade. Opposite her Jace mirrored her position and together they began to move clockwise slowly, both watching the other for a sign of an impending strike.

"Training is a good idea, we need to talk anyway" Clary began, blocking a tentative strike from Jace with ease. He made a sour face at her and went to strike again, without thinking Clary whipped her hand back and made to slash at Jace's hip. Their blades met with a clash and both braced with their left hands, pushing hard as the metal ground together.

"Fine, I'll talk and you listen then." She said breathlessly and they both fell back, each giving the other a slightly wider berth than before. "Honestly with all that's happened I'm okay with us just being siblings. I almost lost Simon and I did lose my mom already. Anyway a relationship isn't really the most important thing right now, I just want to be around people and find out who I am y'know? I know it's weird going from well.. whatever we had before to whatever we have now.. but I think it's important that we both move past it for ourselves. It wont do either of us any good to deny it anyway."

They both stopped moving then, and she could almost see the cogs turning in his head. Seeing an opening Clary lunged forward, her blade raised high above her head and brought it down swiftly. Jace caught her blade with his but not quite quickly enough, the dulled blade had manage to barely slice his left shoulder and slowly began to weep.

"Ah Clary you wound me" he said offhandedly, and she couldn't help but giggle. She faltered as she did so and was pushed back firmly by Jace's strong hand. "Can I be honest with you for a moment Clarissa?" he asked, sitting down on the cold tiled floor as he did so. She nodded slowly, sitting down to face him and began playing with the lace of her sneakers.

"I've never felt the way I do about you for anyone else before. I don't know if that's because you are my sister, or if it's because I love you. I thought I knew, but having had time to think about it I realised that I've never given myself a chance to try and love someone else before, and I think that it was easier for you because we are related.. It makes sense anyway.." He trailed off for a moment, looking thoughtful. "That doesn't mean I don't feel bad or sad about it though, y'know?" After his speech he looked up at her, his gold eyes locking with hers for the first time in days. She couldn't help but smile, he didn't need to say anything else, she knew exactly how he felt.

"I know" she said, a wry smile plastered on her face "I can't say that I was initially very happy with it but brooding over it isn't going to help us find the mortal cup now is it?" he laughed heartily, tears springing to his eyes. It was an unexpected sight but not one that she didn't like.

"We wont be finding that until Valentine wants it to be found, but who knows maybe someone will invent super tracking." Jace said sarcastically, Clary just smiled in response.

The lead up to the arrival of the inquisitor the next day left the members working frantically to make sure everything was up to standard. Luke had excused himself to spend time with his pack for a few days with the promise to call, Magnus had insisted on using his magic to clean every inch of the institute before he too left (after emerging from one Alec Lightwood's bedroom that morning, which had left Jace and Isabelle smirking for the rest of the day), Alec and Isabelle worked to set up a room for the Inquisitor to use for questioning as well as a bedroom on an entirely separate floor for her to reside in.

Jace and Clary had been tasked with checking the weapons catalogues and ensuring that all of the local shadowhunter files were organised. Clary had taken a peek at her own file, though because of how new it was it hadn't really had much of interest.

Then, after all of that they had arrived. Mayrse and Robert appeared through the swirling portal first and then, after a few moments an older woman stepped through. Her grey eyes scanned the room quickly, and her blonde- white hair shone under the light of the entrance hall as she strode across the marble hall towards the Lightwood patriarch.

After a few moments of whispering in Robert's ear the man sighed, a hint of exasperation evident in his features. "Isabelle, Clary will you walk with me for a minute?" He asked, stepping towards them and motioning to a door that led to one of the many hallways. Clary and Isabelle silently shared a look as the followed him, they both knew this meant that they weren't considered mature enough be present for the questioning. Clary frowned, she wasn't sure why Alec had been allowed to remain. Perhaps because he was Jace's parabatai, or maybe something else?

"I'm sorry girls, but inquisitor Herondale has asked that you not be involved in the trial. I know you don't like it and you want to help, but the best thing that we can all do now is just do what she says. You understand right?" He smiled sadly at them, and Isabelle nodded bitterly next to her. Clary bit her lip, not wanting them around for the questioning seemed fair but she couldn't see why Isabelle shouldn't be allowed to attend her own brothers trial.

Robert led them to one of the lounges through a door on the left hand side of the hall which he unlocked with a small silver key. Inside the room appeared surprisingly modern, inside a comfortable leather couch sat in the middle of the room, the back walls where lined with book cases, some holding books while others held DVD's and games for all the latest consoles. Attached to the opposite wall a large flat screen TV sat proudly, it's remote laying on top of a long pine unit that was pressed up against the same wall.

She heard Isabelle gasp as they entered the room, and relished in the look of confusion the crossed her face. Her dark eyebrows bunched up towards the centre of her forehead, her teeth worrying her lip, she turned to her father "I've never seen any of this before.. I didn't know we had things like this in the institute" she said quietly, wandering over to look at the television and the consoles and other equipment beneath it.

"Your mother didn't want you to have access to it until she thought you were mature enough, you know these games and whatnot can be very.. inviting and she didn't want it to distract you" Robert said simply. He left the room shortly afterwards, leaving Clary and Isabelle to play the long waiting game.

"I can't believe we had all this.. this whole time. I just don't get why he kept it from us" Isabelle said out loud. It was true, it felt like they thought that she and her brothers couldn't be trusted. They all took their jobs as Nephilim very seriously, it was their duty, but she couldn't help but think that maybe access to some of these things wouldn't have been so bad..

"Don't take it too hard Izzy" Clary said softly, sitting next to the dark haired girl, she took a slender fingered hand from Isabelle's lap and held it with her own. "It's actually kinda common for people to become addicted to video games and movies because people view it as an escape from their own reality. They just did what they thought was right to protect you." she smiled sweetly at the dark haired girl and leaned forward to grab the TV remote.

"Okay.. I get where you're coming from.. So anyway, do you have any movie recommendations? It'll probably be a while before we hear any news and it will probably be from Alec when we do." She leaned back into the couch as she spoke, endeavouring to find a comfortable position, she let out a squeak of delight when she found the reclining function.

Clary laughed at the cute noise and scanned the shelves for movies she thought the dark eyed girl might like and once satisfied with her choices made her way over to the DVD player.

"Okay so we have to start with some of my favourite animated films, I promise I will teach you to love Disney and together we will both clock in hours of movie time to make up for every moment you've missed so far, sound good?" She asked smiling as the Lion King disc disappeared into the DVD player.

"Clarissa Fray, has anyone every told you that you are incredibly sweet? That sounds wonderful" Isabelle blushed lightly, and Clary just smiled back at her.

"I know, I'm amazing." She winked, enjoying the slight darkening of Isabelle's blush, and together they got situated into Isabelle's first movie marathon.


	3. Assignment

The light had faded almost completely by the time Alec had been relieved, he stood outside one of the many dark wooden doors that lined the darkened hallway and hesitated. The whole business with the Inquisitor had taken quite a while, and as far as he was concerned hadn't gone well at all.

He knocked twice, once quietly and then a little louder before he entered the room. It was dark inside, and he could barely make out a large figure on what appeared to be a couch in the middle of the room.

“Are you awake? Isabelle, Clary?”

The abnormal form squirmed and as he flicked on the light he realised that the girls must have fallen asleep on each other. Isabelle stretched and sat forward, looking intently at her brother. “I am now.” she yawned sleepily.

“How did it go? What happened?” Clary asked, rubbing the tiredness from her eyes. She had noticed almost immediately upon waking up that Jace was not accompanying the tall brown haired boy and the conversation with Robert played back in her head.

“Well, Jace didn't exactly help himself in there.. The Inquisitor doesn't have much to go on just now because he isn't afraid of holding the soul sword, she took a bit of a.. different approach.. She was basically trying to rile him up, and you know Jace..” the exasperated look plastered on the boys face said everything the girls needed to know.

“Damn that boy! If I were allowed near him right now I could wring his overconfident neck!” Isabelle burst out, she looked furious which if you overlooked the deadly wrath really wasn't a bad look on her at all.

“Well, me too Izzy, and because of his actions the Inquisitor has decided to send Jace to one of the cells in the bone city to await his trial.” he looked at each of them, his expression sour “I really don't think there's much that we can do just now. On top of that, we also have an assignment.”

“What? If they've taken Jace then we're only a two man squad that could be dangerous.” Isabelle raised an eyebrow at her brother, waiting for a response.

The whole conversation was stirring an uneasy feeling in the pit of Clary's stomach. She worried about Jace, alone in his cell, and the possibility of Isabelle and Alec leaving for a mission that would almost certainly be dangerous.

“That's why Clary is coming with us, and because I don't agree with the situation either I was planning on asking Magnus if he would come along with us.” he blushed at saying his boyfriend's name out loud.

“I'm coming with you? Really? What about my training?” Clary asked, she couldn't help but feel relieved at the way the situation was unfolding. She had really begun to see everyone at the institute as her family, it made her want to fight to be with them and protect them. She glanced at Isabelle and smiled.

“Yes, you kind of already have some experience and you'll be with us the whole time. It's not a low level assignment though I have to say.” He took a breath, face growing deadly serious. “We got a report from Raphael Santiago at the Hotel Du Mort about a group of rogue vampires that have appeared on the west side of town. At first his coven thought they would be able to track them all down and eliminate them and that would be that, they did manage to track the vampires down to a bar but on further investigation they found evidence of an unusual drug and possible circle involvement. Our job is to infiltrate another known warehouse, get a sample of this drug and determine whether the circle is actually involved or not. Once we have Magnus can analyse the drug so we can see what we're dealing with.”

“Okay, so Clary you can come with me, we'll need to get ready which means weapons.” Isabelle grinned “Alec you go message Magnus and let him know what's happening and grab your bow at the same time then meet us outside, I'll grab you some seraph daggers from the weapons room and get Clary sorted.” Isabelle and Alec nodded at each-other then, taking charge, Isabelle firmly took hold of Clary's wrist and led her to the weapons room.

By the time they arrived both girls were blushing lightly, and Isabelle let Clary's hand slip to her side as she strode across the room to the weapon racks.

“So did you get a chance to talk with Jace before all of this?” Isabelle asked, examining the selection of seraph daggers before deciding on three and slipping them into a small bag.

Clary watched her with mixed interest, thoughts racing through her mind faster than she could really pay attention to them.

“Yes.. When Luke wanted to talk to me, he asked the same thing essentially and it made me think that it was better to just talk to him before anything got any worse. I told him that I was happy to have him as a brother, and I am. I think he wanted me to want more but he accepted it.” Clary let out a breath after her short speech and perched herself on a table that had been pushed up against the wall next to the weapons rack.

“I'm surprised he took it that well to be honest, Jace isn't exactly good with feelings as I'm sure you are aware, but I'm glad that it worked out between you.” Isabelle smiled broadly, perfect white teeth a stark contrast against her crimson lipstick.

Clary watched with interested as Isabelle's slender hands reached towards the rack again and came away with two seraph blades and deposited them on the table. She then took down two seraph daggers, and reached into the top drawer of the adjacent mahogany cabinet to retrieve a black leather belt.

“Shouldn't we get changed into gear as well?” Clary asked curiously as Isabelle diligently attached the equipment to the belt.

“Yeah we'll have to stop by my room before we head out and suit up.” Isabelle draped the belt over Clary's shoulder and once again grabbed the red-headed girl's wrist before leaving, the small beige bag bouncing against her hip as they walked.

Before long they were stepping into Isabelle's messy bedroom. Clary couldn't help but giggle as she scooted piles of clothes out her path with her foot. When she finally made it to the bed she sat down on the wrinkled sheets and observed as Isabelle frantically tried to find the drawer she was searching for in her alarmingly large walk-in closet.

“I found it!” she exclaimed from somewhere near the back of the closet out of sight of Clary, who sat in amazement at the pure amount of clothes that inhabited the girls room, let alone her clearly full closet.

“Izzy you really need to clean your room” Clary commented, taking the offered lightweight shadowhunter clothing.

“Yeah I know I'm sorry” Isabelle said with a blush “so um how do you want to do this?” her face grew a deeper red as she asked and Clary, realising that they both needed to change and what exactly Isabelle was asking, began to blush as well.

“Uh I'll go in the bathroom and you call when you're finished changing?” Clary asked awkwardly, sidestepping towards the bathroom. Thinking about Isabelle undressing anywhere near her had her cheeks heating up like a ring on a stove.

Isabelle didn't answer, only nodded, her face almost taking the colour of a coca cola label and Clary dove into the bathroom in the hopes that their awkward situation would end quicker.

Clary dressed quickly, she was beginning to feel apprehensive about their assignment and the dangers that they would face, but at the same time she couldn't shake the feeling that Valentine had something to do with it.

The shadowhunter clothing eased her soul slightly, they fit very well despite being Isabelle's and something about wearing them felt right. She looked into the mirror above Isabelle's bathroom sink and admired her reflection. Her porcelain skin, red hair and the dark black of the leather contrasted each other nicely.

“Clary are you ready? Time to go.” Isabelle's voice called from the other side of the door and with one last look in the mirror she stepped out of the bathroom, a new confidence to her step.

“Wow you really suit our gear!” Isabelle gaped openly for a moment, her eyes wide and shining and Clary couldn't help but look away a new redness finding its way to her cheeks. She noticed the majority of the clothes that had littered the floor were now pushed into a pile near the wicker clothes basket in the corner of the room, presumably to be sorted later.

“Thanks, I like what you've done with the place.” Clary replied adding a wink, it wasn't something she had ever consciously done before but earning a blush from Isabelle made her seriously consider winking more often. They looked at each-other for a moment, green eyes locked with dark brown, each pair of eyes analysing the other. Clary could see a myriad of unreadable emotions in Isabelle's dark chocolate iris's, she could feel something new stirring within her could see it in her own green eyes reflecting from the sheen of hers.

“We should really go and meet Alec, he'll be worried sick by now..” Isabelle worried her bottom lip with her teeth, breaking the intense eye contact she moved to leave through the open door.

Clary followed behind her quietly, Isabelle hadn't given her any shoes so she still had her worn converse on, they would be comfortable at least but wouldn't offer much grip. Not something that Isabelle seemed to worry about, in her platform heels she was always prepared for battle and always looked incredibly stylish.

The elevator journey was short but the silence that accompanied it felt almost uncomfortable, the interactions that they'd been having over the past couple of days had left Clary emotionally reeling. Still, she refused to think about it and decided to press on.

“There you are, you look ready for battle Clary I'm impressed.” Alec stated, Clary smiled at him happy to have received a compliment from the tall boy. “Magnus will be meeting us underneath the bridge that's about a half mile down the river from the warehouse we'll be visiting. Once we meet up we'll apply runes, Magnus and I will survey the area around the warehouse and try to see in to get a picture of what we're dealing with. Once we've done that it'll be time to move in. Sound good?”

The girls both nodded their heads in agreement, letting Alec take the lead. They hailed a cab to the west side of the city, Alec gave the driver the name of a bar (The Wailing Walrus) to the driver and before long they were off on their way.

It turned out that The Wailing Walrus was on sixth street, part of the local party scene and as they stepped out onto the side-walk, the neon blue walrus sign flashing above their heads Clary could see the river at the end of the road.

They set off in silence, passing under four or five of the somewhat fading street lamps as they trekked. It became increasingly harder not to notice how derelict most of the buildings in this part of town were, large cracks littering the sides and corners of the brick walls, windows haphazardly boarded up with scraps of wood that looked suspiciously rotten. Clary stuck a little bit closer to Isabelle as they neared the end of the paving and crossed the road. It was hard not to gravitate towards the dark haired girl, her confidence seemed to radiate off of her in massive waves.

They climbed over the concrete and metal barrier that divided the city from the river and surrounding nature, Clary gripped the metal as her feet found the dirt embankment and right herself. She could feel herself sinking very slowly, her sneakers squelching quietly as she moved to follow the other two down the steep hillside.

Once she joined with Isabelle and Alec at the bottom she was relieved to find a wide flat dirt path running adjacent to the river, which flowed lazily and provided calming sound effects to spite the seriousness of their venture.

“It's not too much further up this way.” Alec said, retrieving his witchlight stone from the depths of his trouser pocket. It lit up the way with a brilliant light and they set off once again.

True to Alec's word it wasn't long before they reached the bridge, as they neared she could make out the faint outline of Magnus waving them over, the lack of lighting clearly not an issue for his superior abilities.

“Hey sweetie, my darling's.” Magnus chirped, pecking his boyfriend on the cheek as an extra greeting.

Alec blushed “Shall we get started then?” he said, twining his fingers with Magnus's.

Magnus wiggled his eyebrows in response “Straight to the punch, I like that about you.” he grinned “We'll be back soon, be careful while we're gone girls.” and with that they disappeared into the darkness.


	4. Resilience

As soon as Magnus and Alec left an almost palpable tension filled the space between Clary and Isabelle. They sat with their back against the cold brick of the bridge overhead, the soil moist and soft beneath them.

Beside her Isabelle sighed, reaching into the holster of her black gear belt to retrieve her stele. “We should get ready for the mission. You know how to draw the strength and stamina runes, you should apply them, after I'll help you out with some other handy ones.” she stated, rolling her sleeve back as she did so.

In the dark lighting Clary could barely make out the outline of the strength rune against the porcelain skin of Isabelle's left forearm. She watched intently for a moment as Isabelle began to trace over the curling pattern, wincing only slightly as she did so.

Internally bracing herself, Clary retrieved her stele and began the same process. The burning pain as the rune engraved itself into her skin brought a tear to her eye, she wondered if the pain of applying runes would lessen for her with time. Jace and Alec both didn't seem to feel a thing when they drew their runes, and Isabelle contained her self with a fierce grace. Clary couldn't help but feel weak in comparison.

When she finished, her left arm mirroring her dark haired counterpart's, Clary placed her stele safely back into it's holster and settled in to watch Isabelle finish applying her runes.

“Give me your right arm.” Isabelle said, turning to face Clary with her hand extended. Clary offered her hand to Isabelle, her wrist resting on the girls soft palm. Clary momentarily relished the feeling, Isabelle's hands though soft, also sported the somewhat rough callouses gained from years of fighting demons. It was something that Clary couldn't help but admire, how courageous and kind but also bad-ass the other girl was.

Looking up Clary's eyes met Isabelle's and their gazes locked together, a soft haze began to cloud her mind as she looked into the girls chocolate orbs.

“Okay, the first rune is going to be for night vision because it's dark and we don't know what conditions we will be facing inside the warehouse, I doubt it will be bright though.” Isabelle said a little breathlessly moving her stele to hover just above the skin of Clary's forearm. “I'm sorry it'll hurt.” she said biting her lip. Clary just nodded in response, watching with rapt attention as Isabelle touched the tip of her stele to her flesh. The burn started off intense and Clary winced, but as the rune began to take form all she could feel were the soft touches of Isabelle's hand as it moved, tracing with a practised precision.

The effects of the rune had already fully taken effect by the time Isabelle leaned back, the world around her seemed as bright as if it were the middle of a bright summer day, yet there was no discernible light source. “Wow” she breathed, unable to help the smile that made its way to her face.

“Okay, next rune” Isabelle giggled, moving the stele to the open space below the rune she had just drawn. “This one is for agility, it's pretty self explanatory” she winked and once again set to work, this time the pattern seemed more simple, a spiral of dashing lines that reminded her of the way a dog would energetically chase it's tail.

“The last rune is one of my favourites, resilience, it's also pretty self explanatory.” Isabelle frowned, she had run out of space on Clary's forearms and to apply one to her upper arm would require her to shrug out of the form fitting leather jacket that adorned her top half.

Clary's face flushed and she moved her head to the side exposing the right side of her neck, silently offering the space there to the dark haired girl.

“Oh” Isabelle whispered softly, the deep blush of her cheeks visible from the corner of Clary's eye. Very slowly Isabelle moved her hand to Clary's neck, her fingers sliding against the cool skin there, palm gently holding her in place. Clary's eyes slid shut, her heart thrumming as the stele pressed against her neck and began to trace. She could picture the rune in her mind, strong and bold but also squared and intricate.

The air seemed a little colder as Isabelle drew back, and Clary had to stop herself from groaning at the loss of contact as Isabelle's hand fell to her side, her expression unreadable.

Clary's eyelids felt heavy and she could feel herself being drawn to the dark haired beauty in front of her, her mind reeled and her soul inside her surged. Their eyes met once again, both beginning to lean slowly into one another. Before Clary could regain control of her hazed over mind her lips connected with Isabelle's own and she gasped slightly at how surprisingly soft they were. Clary pressed harder against Isabelle's lips, loving the feeling of the other girl melting into her. Isabelle's hands found their way to Clary's neck and began to caress the skin there, her tongue darting out to tease the red-headed girls bottom lip.

A cheerful whistling roused the girls from their bliss and they shot apart, gazes still locked, each searching the others face to decipher the emotions displayed there.

“Sorry to interrupt biscuit, but we need to get a move on.” Magnus said with a knowing grin, causing Clary to blush furiously. Her mind was still whirling with thoughts about Isabelle, how they had kissed, how she was starting to feel..

“Where is Alec?” Isabelle asked quietly. She had raised to stand awkwardly, her body mostly turned away from the red-headed girl. Clary frowned, seeing the closed body language left her with an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She desperately hoped that the kiss hadn't ruined the relationship that they had been building together, she dearly loved the company of the spunky shadowhunter girl and couldn't bare the thought of losing her as a friend.

“Oh I think he may have seen a little too much” Magnus said with a wink “He put a night vision rune to use when we found out how seriously _dark_ it is in there and, well, I really don't think it's worn off yet. If you catch my drift.” he giggled to himself, clearly enjoying his boyfriends reaction to the scene they had witness.

Clary's face fell, Alec clearly hadn't taken it very well but she hoped it wouldn't dampen their relationship. She groaned to herself, things just did not want to go her way.

“All-right lets go then.” She sighed, nervously thumbing the hilt of the seraph blade nearest her right hand.

They set off at a jog, Magnus leading the girls to where Alec waited sat perched on a large flat rock by the side of the river.

“Are you all set big brother?” Isabelle asked, moving to sit next to the dark haired boy.

“Yes I just need you to re-apply the speed rune on my shoulder if that's okay.” Alec said, clearly avoiding eye contact with his little sister. She bit her lip, clearly hurt, and nodded motioning for him to pull his shirt up.

“Clary you should draw this one on the back of your hand, it's small so it should fit” Isabelle stated offhandedly, her hand steady, stele tracing the arching rune onto her brothers shoulder.

Clary complied, watching carefully she recreated the rune perfectly. She could feel the thrum of the runes pulsing in sync with her own heart, the feeling of the ancient magic almost overwhelming.

“I feel like I'm being swaddled by ancient magic.” Clary breathed, stretching out her fingers and toes.

Alec laughed unexpectedly “Yeah, it's a pretty unique feeling, the power of the runes that is. We're taught early on that as Nephilim our souls call out for the power of runes. That's why we have ceremonies and celebrations when new shadow-hunters receive their first runes.”

Once they were all ready they set off again, this time at a run, each of them seeming to glide over the ground gracefully. The moon shone overhead peeking through the dark clouds to look down on them like a playful kitten.

In her mind Clary wasn't sure what to feel. She had so many emotions flowing through her that they all seemed to mix together into an endless cocktail of confusion. She had never even considered before that she might some day become attracted to a woman, and the fact that she was fairly certain that she _was_ attracted to Isabelle made it all that much harder. It wasn't hard to decide though, the time that they had spent together had made them close as friends, she wasn't entirely sure when those feelings had developed further but she now knew they had. Being that close to Isabelle had flipped a switch in her mind and left her on autopilot, her body had reacted naturally.

It had been different when she had kissed Jace, she had thought about everything that she was doing in those moments with him, but with Isabelle everything had felt so natural. She swallowed harshly, throat suddenly dry. What would this mean for them in the future? She was sure Isabelle wasn't gay, she had heard the boys comment on her nefarious deeds a few times but never once had they mentioned females.

Clary internally groaned, she felt like finding a nice wall and smashing her head off of it repeatedly until the situation she was in decided to wither away.

It wasn't long before they reached the warehouse, it's imposing presence looming over them. The air felt considerably colder as they drew closer to the seemingly derelict building. Clary frowned, something about the area didn't feel right.

Alec motioned with his right hand and Isabelle followed him forward to a rectangle of corrugated iron that rested against the side of the warehouse. They each grabbed either side and quietly moved it aside, exposing a jagged looking hole that seemed to lead to some kind of kitchen.

Alec and Isabelle disappeared through the opening and Clary followed them, Magnus close behind her. The kitchen it turned out was incredibly dirty. Thick layers of grime coated every work surface, in the far corner of the room blood splattered up the walls in wild arcs, and in the centre of the room where trace amounts of demon ichor.

Alec and Isabelle exchanged a look and each retrieved their weapons, readying them for a fight. Seeing this, Clary took a seraph blade from her belt “Eremiel” she murmured, satisfied when the blade flared to life.

Alec nodded back at her and motioned for them to begin moving again. They started through the open doorway, careful not to creak the unstable floorboards or unsettle too much dust as they walked.

The walls of the hallway were stained, the wallpaper that once hung on them now falling off and torn. There were many sizeable holes along the wall as well, some as large as if someone where flung at the wall with inhuman strength, others the size of a fist.

As they drew closer to the end of the hallway the faint hum of voices became distinguishable. They moved slower, following the voices to the source – a door on the far wall that lay slightly cracked open.

“..Valentine will be happy with the results that we've had in the past week anyway. We've got shipments heading out to all the major cities of the world for distribution. At this point we're pretty much finished.” The voice that spoke was gruff, clearly belonging to a male.

The four shared a look. It hadn't taken them long to discover the circle's involvement, but at the same time the man that spoke sounded like he wasn't worried at all, perhaps the damage was already done.

“I don't see the point in it either way. If his plans for tonight go as planned we wont need any distractions, even one as large a scale as this.” The second man scoffed, words dripping with arrogance.

“Yeah yeah. Go check on the goods will you? Don't want to lose the last of it and those vamps have been creeping around.”

Panic spread through their ranks, by the sounds of what the two men were saying Valentine had a plan in motion tonight as well. Acting quickly Alec kicked open the door, drawing his arrow back as the door slammed against the wall with an almighty bang.

“Stay where you are and nobody gets hurt!” Alec yelled, his voice strong and commanding. The two men laughed, both drawing their seraph blades and launching for the door.

Alec let his arrow loose, it flew through the air with a loud whistle and pierced one of the circle members through the chest causing him to crumple to the ground. Clary jumped forward slashing left with her seraph blade. It clashed and ground against the man's own blade, locking them in a battle of strength. Clary's muscles ached as she held him there, and then with a flash of blue light Magnus had the man up against the wall, arms and legs restrained.

The group gathered in front of him quickly. “How many others are here?” Alec questioned aggressively “What is this plan that Valentine has for tonight, what are the shipments?”

The man laughed, as if his situation where hysterical. “And why do you think I should tell you? If I'm going to die either way.” He spit out at them, still grinning.

“We don't have time for this. Magnus can you portal him to one of the institutes holding cells. We'll get to him later.”

“Of course darling, I would be happy to get rid of him.” Magnus said, flourishing his hands as he created the portal. A moment later, the man was gone.

“We probably alerted whoever is here with that raucous.” Isabelle sighed, twirling her serpent staff between her hands idly.

“You're right, there isn't much hope for stealth now. We'll have to get a move on.” Alec confirmed.

They exited the room and moved deeper into the facility, heading towards the main work area. As they neared the double doors that led to what must have been a packaging area Isabelle gasped and stopped suddenly. 

“We need to be careful.” She said, her hand making it's way to the ruby that hung from her neck.

“The ruby..” Magnus whispered “There must be demons in there.” He paused, his hands stretched towards the door and closed his eyes, brows furrowed in concentration. “There are at least ten ravener demons in there. Maybe more, I can't see the back of the room that well. We'll need to be careful of their poison. 

The three shadow-hunters nodded in response. Alec poised himself on the left hand side of the door with Isabelle on the right and together they burst open the doors and rushed in.

Clary hadn't expected the room inside to be as close quarters as the room they found themselves in. Heavy metal tables all lined up in rows filled the middle of the room, with four large support pillars situated a few meters from each corner of the room. At the back a rusted metal staircase led to another room, but before they could reach it they would have to deal with the approaching hoard.

For not being very smart, the ravener demons sprung into action quickly as they entered the room, splitting Magnus and Alec away from the two girls and attempting to corner each pair respectively.

Clary lashed out at the screaming creatures, slashing with her blazing seraph blade. Beside her Izzy lashed out with her staff, barely keeping up with the multiple poisoned tails that threatened to pierce her.

Six demons surrounded them, each taking turns stabbing at the two girls. The ravener demon on the rights tail flicked back and Clary seized her opportunity, raising her seraph blade swiftly and stabbing it through the creatures head, ichor spraying out in an arc as it twitched and disintegrated into nothingness. She had no time to pause as a second tail shot towards her, she threw herself backwards and slashed upwards, the demons sharpened tail detaching from it's body. It screamed in anger and lashed out with it's teeth, slashing Clary's arm.

The seraph blade she had been holding flew from her grasp, it's light extinguishing immediately as it clattered to the floor. Clary grasped at her belt for her second blade, another demon launching for her. “Jophiel!” She cried, her second blade blazing to light just in time for her to bury it in the creatures open mouth. Ichor splattered all over her, burning her clothes and skin and she hissed in pain falling back.

Beside her Isabelle's staff pierced one of the remaining demons and it curled up around the serpent staff as if to hold it in place. As Isabelle wrestled with the thing its friend sprang into action, Clary launched herself forward with as much power as she could, throwing herself in the way of the deadly tail that homed in on Isabelle.

It pierced the skin above Clary's right hip and embedded itself in the bone, poison spewing from the tip of its tail and spreading through Clary's bloodstream like molten lava. She screamed in pain, feeling the demon try and wrench its tail free of her bone to no avail, sparing herself she stabbed the creature, revelling in it's pain as it faded away.

The pain inside her was overwhelming, the fire in her veins blazing a deathly trail to her heart. She fell to the floor, darkness ebbing into the edges of her vision.

“Clary, Clary I'm so sorry.” Isabelle cried over her, the last of the demons taken care of. She cooed over the red-headed girl softly, retrieving her stele to draw a healing rune.

The faint burning of the stele was the last thing Clary registered before falling unconscious.


	5. Maellartach

_Water surrounded Clary, she floated in a vast seemingly endless void of ocean. Peculiarly though, she could breathe just fine. Every intake of breath provided nourishing oxygen to her body, even though it seemed like she should be gulping and choking on the liquid. It was as if she were in stasis, she felt as if she were there but truly wasn't, and briefly considered that she might be in a dream._

_Suddenly a large shadow loomed over her, with no discernible reason why. It moved over her at a snails pace, and as she looked to the surface she could faintly distinguish the water rolling and moving aside for some large unseen object._

_She began desperately trying to swim to the surface, surprised when her waving arms and kicking legs passed through the water with no resistance, the water still as an undisturbed lake._

_When she looked again to the surface the sight she observed confounded her. In various locations surrounding the large shadow invisible objects began plummeting into the water, leaving spirals of disturbed water in their wake._

_Above her a long silver object plunged straight down, she tried again to move but could not. The object, a long heavy looking sword flew down past her, missing her only by a few inches. She watched after it as it disappeared into the depths, vanishing without a trace as the trails left behind dissipated._

_Shortly after the sword a cup followed which she recognised instantly as the mortal cup her mother had tried so hard to protect. She cried out, stretching out as far as she could in a desperate attempt to grab it, only to watch it float downward and disappear._

Clary awoke with a start, wrenching herself into a sitting position she groaned. She could feel every hit that she had taken on her last mission. A persistent burning plagued the spot where she presumed the demon had gotten her.

“Don't strain yourself biscuit.” Magnus half whispered, the sleepiness evident in his delicately raspy tone.

“Magnus what happened, did we finish the mission?” She croaked out the question. She noted that she was once again in the institutes infirmary, the high wooden arches and beautifully created murals providing a comforting familiarity for her.

“Oh biscuit you're becoming such a shadowhunter!” Magnus exclaimed, dramatically raising the back of his hand to rest against his forehead. Clary couldn't help but smile, Magnus had a certain flare about him that was entirely unique to himself and so comforting to be around socially.

“You didn't answer my question Magnus.” She chided, still smiling despite her current situation.

“Oh fine then, yes everything went according to plan -aside from the little mishap of course. Isabelle tried to put an iratze on you but it didn't work, fortunately Alexander and I had procured a sample of the drug and we were able to portal you here. I will say though Clarissa it took quite a lot of magic to heal you and I tried my hardest to extract all of the venom but I fear I was unsuccessful in retrieving all of it and it may leave you with some side effects.” Magnus looked down, a visible sheen to his catlike eyes.

“Thank you so much Magnus, it means so much to me that you had my back all the way through. Without your magic I'm sure I'd be a lot worse off.” She leaned forward, ignoring the stabbing pain above her left hip and threw her arms around the warlock, hugging him tightly.

“I will always have your back, biscuit.” He replied, returning the embrace with as much enthusiasm.

“Awh you guys are having a moment, that's sweet. No funny business with my sister though y'hear.” A familiar voice spoke from the doorway.

Clary released Magnus and turned around quickly, immediately regretting her actions as a wave of pain rolled over her. She shut her eyes, bracing herself against the pain.

“As if, shadowhunter.” She heard Magnus mutter beside her, she struggled to suppress a giggle.

Once the pain eased off she opened her eyes once again to see three of her favourite people at the side of her bed. Jace stood with his arms crossed observing her with a smirk, Isabelle to his right seemed content to stare wistfully at the floor and Alec stood to Jace's right, a soft smile on his face.

“Jace, you're back, how -when?” Clary questioned, he looked like he had lost some weight and new scars circled his wrists.

“It's kind of a long story, they were supposed to hold me overnight in the silent city before my trial which was supposed to be today but Valentine attack the silent city. He slaughtered the silent brothers and stole the mortal sword away from it's perch above the speaking stars. He used some.. Hideous demon to help him kill them all and then fled before anyone could stop him. They can't use the sword to give me a trial until it's returned, so for now I'm back on duty. The bottom line is more and more incidents of demon interactions on our plane are happening and they can't afford to bench a single soldier just now.” Jace ranted with a mild irritation, but it was easy to read from him that he was relieved to at least be able to kill things -one of his favourite past times.

“That's the long and short of it anyway.” Alec stated, finally offering something to the conversation.

“The mortal sword huh.. I feel like there isn't much of a purpose in stealing a sword that evokes the truth from people.” Clary yawned, rubbing her eyes. She knew she'd been asleep for a long while, yet she couldn't shake the tiredness looming overhead and the fact that her fathers plans were becoming ever harder to decipher didn't help.

“Clary, Clary, Cary..” Jace tutted, shaking his head with a smirk “It's not just that is it? It's a powerful angel blade, given to Jonathan Shadowhunter by the angel Raziel along with the mortal cup. It's one of our most powerful artefacts.”

This fact made the act of stealing it _more_ logical to Clary, but it still seemed like an awful lot of trouble to go to for one angel blade.

“It's not just that either though, is it Jace?” Magnus said mysteriously, clearly relishing in peaking the surrounding shadowhunters curiosity.

“Well, come on then. Spill it Magnus, what do you know that I don't.” Jace said irritably, standing up a little straighter as if his tall stature secured his vast intelligence. Clary covered her mouth with her hand to suppress a giggle at this. Her brother could be such a dumb-ass at times.

“Wow Jace, can't handle the vast knowledge of our friendly neighbourhood warlock? I mean he has a lot more experience with the world than you do.” Isabelle joked, putting a pin in Jace's over inflated ego. Clary couldn't help but laugh at this, she was happy to finally catch Isabelle's eye, even though she looked away immediately.

“Izzy what the hell don't be so mean!” He joked back, the playfulness evident in his smile. “Seriously though Magnus, what do you know?”

“I happen to know that there is a very old text that references something that I think is called the Ritual of Infernal Conversion, don't hold me to that though I'll look into it more later, I began researching in my library trying to see if I could find anything that might relate to the sword. It's a ritual where the blade must be seethed until red hot and then cooled four times in the blood of each a child of Lilith, a child of the moon, a child of the night, and a child of the fey. I am still working on translating the whole script but I'm sure you can imagine the implications of such a ritual.” Magnus said darkly.

Jace and Alec exchanged a look, seeming to converse silently with one another, then both nodded.

“You guys deserve a break let me go talk to mom about this. If this is true then the shadowhunters we already called in and are lodging here wont be enough. Especially with all the rogue downworlder activity we've been having recently, they'll likely want to send more reinforcements. Clary we should all start training together once you've rested up enough, we're being signed up together as a four man squad so we'll need to be on our game from here on out. I'll probably see you guys tomorrow, I've got book club.” He winked and then disappeared from the room, a swagger in his step.

“Book club? What's book club?” Clary asked “Wait never mind it's okay, I get it.” She retracted, remembering it was Jace who had said it. Isabelle laughed, drawing Clary's attention again. The dark haired girl looked as though she hadn't slept and Clary wondered if she blamed herself for Clary's injury. If that was the case Clary would just have to tell her otherwise, in reality she would throw herself in the way to save Isabelle from anything in a heartbeat.

“Well, I think it's about time you and I got around to having that date we planned.” Alec said shyly, grinning at the dark haired warlock who had raised to stand before him.

“I would absolutely love to! Let's have dinner, it's on my of course darling!” Magnus exclaimed, happy that his boyfriend had acknowledged their relationship status out loud. He took the arm offered by the tall, blue eyed boy, and turned to smile at the girls before he left. “Have a lovely evening and don't worry I wont keep him away for too long.” Magnus said, and with that they left Isabelle and Clary alone in the infirmary.

The silence between them grew painfully uncomfortable by the time Isabelle finally settled into sitting down at the edge of the bed beside her. Clary closed her eyes and enjoyed the modicum of closeness they had. She could tell by Isabelle's actions that something was off and she wondered what had Isabelle acting so weird. Was it because of the kiss they shared? Was it because she blamed herself for Clary's injury? Whatever the case was Isabelle seemed reluctant to speak, and Clary had to steel her nerves, realising that she would indeed have to be the one to speak first.

“Isabelle I'm so sorry I kissed you like that, I know I shouldn't have. I know you must have felt conflicted about it.” Clary swallowed around the lump in her throat. Part of her wanted to ask why the girl had reacted to the kiss, if she had felt the same way in those moments, if it had also ignited a fire in her heart. She refrained though, mostly because she was afraid that having those feelings would cause her to end up losing the girl as a friend, but also because she was afraid of just how much the kiss _had_ effected her. It was unlike any time she had kissed Jace, or even the one time she had kissed Simon for a dare in middle school. It had left a hot desire flowing through her veins, even thinking back on it she could feel the heat rising in her again.

“Oh Clary.” Isabelle sighed, taking Clary's hand in her own. “I don't mind that you kissed me, what I mind is that you got seriously hurt because of me. I got distracted and lost my focus. I should have had your back, but I didn't.” There were tears forming in her dark eyes and Clary's heart ached for the beautiful, sensitive girl before her.

“Izzy I know it's only because of what happened between us that you couldn't focus, and I couldn't just stand there and watch you get hurt. Besides you say you didn't have my back but I felt you drawing the iratze before I passed out, I knew I would be safe and that you were there.” Clary moved her hand to cup Isabelle's soft cheek, gently rubbing away the tears that spilled over.

Clary wrapped her arm against Isabelle and lay back, holding the taller girl tightly against her while she wept.

Once her tears finally stopped Isabelle relaxed into Clary. “I'm still sorry though.” She whispered, and they stayed laying together until sleep overcame them.


	6. Art

When Clary next awoke the space beside her that Isabelle had occupied was cold and empty. She tried to not be sad about the fact that the dark haired girl had left, after all just because Isabelle had been kind enough to forgive their kiss, that didn't mean that she wanted to be with Clary.

She pushed back the white cotton sheets of her basic infirmary bed and supporting herself on the small bedside table she slipped off the bed. The pain in her movements seemed to be less now, but the discomfort was still there and she couldn't help but lift her shirt to look at the offending area.

Just above her left hip a wide silver scar marked her light flesh, it looked to be around two inches long and over half an inch thick. She frowned and traced the silver-white line with her left index finger, ignoring the burn that accompanied the light pressure.

Shaking her head she left the infirmary, heading for the privacy of her room where her secret stash of snacks and art supplies awaited her.

It didn't take long for her to traverse the halls, she had come to know them very well after staying in the institute for a few days and it wasn't long before she was softly closing her bedroom door behind her, finally safe in the privacy of her room.

The purple covers on her bed were still thrown back, just as she had left them, her two large white pillows piled unceremoniously in the middle of her bed near the top. Beside her bed atop the dark wooden two-set of drawers that she used as a bedside cabinet sat her phone, a small green dot flashing with the tell-tale sign of a notification.

Opting to check her phone later Clary crossed the room to sit at her large oak desk and chair were she kept her art supplies. She gathered some of the packs of coloured pastels that she kept to the side of the large surface, satisfied that she had the colours she would require she leaned down to open the third drawer on the right to retrieve a can of soda and some of her favourite snacks.

The can popped open with a satisfying sound as she pulled forward on the tab and once the mist the rose from the freshly cracked can subsided she took a long satiating drink. She had almost forgotten how thirsty she had become, after sleeping so long in the infirmary only to wake up and then sleep again her throat had begun to feel like it was comprised of almost set glue.

She was hungry as well of course, but the thirst had become so undeniable that the can in her hand had become her saviour in life.

Once her throat began to feel a little more normal she decided to eat some crisps, barely registering the flavour as the packet disappeared, and opened a large pack of cookies to munch on while she worked.

With her thirst and hunger finally sated she picked up her charcoal and began to draw the outline of her minds picture. She couldn't help but think of the dream that she'd had, the sword diving through the water in front of her very eyes. She drew from an almost top down angle, the hilt of the sword hard wide feathered wings extending from the strip that connected the large rune marked blade to it's leather-bound hilt. She made the outside lines thick, smudging them outward to give the effect of a shadow. She then coloured large portions of the background in an aquatic blues and deep sea greens, taking a white cloth from the top drawer on her left to blend the various colours together. After she took her white chalk and added highlights streaming from the point of the blade, adding the effect of water rushing out of the way of the blade.

She stared at the picture for a moment, its likeness to the scene she had witness in her dream uncanny. Setting the now finished picture to the side, safely in the tray she kept her finished artwork in, she stopped to eat some cookies.

Other than her dream there wasn't much else she could think of drawing.

She placed the charcoal to the paper once more and began to outline a person portrait style, not really caring what direction the drawing took. She decided to just draw in the moment. She began to draw the long sweeping lines that would make the hair, then once satisfied began to softly define cheekbones and a small nose.

She outline full lips and delicate eyes, making sure the eyelashes that accompanied them appeared long and luscious. She added in small strokes tight together above the eyes and added definition to the jawline.

Clary sighed, breaking for a moment. Isabelle stared up at her from the paper, her almost completed face haunting Clary's thoughts like a plague. She closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath, righting herself.

When she opened them again she finished using the charcoal for her drawing and found a dark brown pastel. She used it to add colour to Isabelle's eyes and add some brown tone to her hair. She then found a colour close to Isabelle's skin tone and added colour to her face, opting to add in some blush on both of the girls cheeks. When she finished that she added some shading to Isabelle's neck beneath her chin and hastily set the drawing to the side.

Deciding she was more than finished with drawing Clary scrunched up the cookie packet and tossed them back in the drawer they came from. She made her way over to the bed and flopped down on it, enjoying how comfortable it was as compared to the infirmary beds.

She grabbed the phone from the surface beside her bed and unlocked it, tapping on the notification for a voice-mail that had been left.

After going through the options Clary was surprised to hear the familiar voice of Simon, she guessed she shouldn't be surprised though, she had been neglecting him for quite a while now.

“Hey Clary I hope you're doing well, I just wanted to let you know I'm going camping with Eric and the guys so if you want to get in touch of me for the next day I wont be available, I promise I'll call you as soon as I get back. I want to hear everything about what's going on and I know you haven't been answering my texts but it's cool, I just really miss you and want to talk to you okay Fray? I'll call you when I get back, love you best friend.”

Hearing the message brought tears to her eyes, Simon was the best friend anyone could ask for, she really needed to start appreciating him more.

The time of the notification had been around six o'clock in the morning, which probably meant that he and the guys were already out roughing it in tents in the wilderness. She tried to imagine Eric reciting some of his terrible poetry but almost gagged at the thought.

Comforted slightly by her far away friend Clary dove under her covers and curled up, ready for sleep to take over.

The soft yellow light of the morning sun shone through her slightly parted curtains when she work, it cast a friendly glow over the bed inviting her to start her day.

She rolled out of bed with minimal effort, barely noticing the lack of pain in her hip. She hadn't yet stopped to consider what the side effects Magnus spoke of might be, but with the pain pretty much gone it was hard to believe that she would have any. She made her way to her en suite and started the shower, sighing happily when steam finally began to billow from the shower.

After the stress of fighting and then the massive oversleeping she had taken part in her body had been left stiff and sore. She was grateful for the heat of the gently massaging flow of water that poured over her.

It took her almost an hour to finish with the shower, but once she stepped out and dried herself she couldn't deny how refreshed she actually felt. She stalked through to the bedroom and rummaged around in her clothes drawers to grab an outfit. She slipped her underwear on and threw on a pair of dark blue skinny fit jeans with a black tank top. Satisfied at the way she looked she slipped her favourite sneakers on and headed for the kitchen in search of breakfast.

When she arrived Jace and Alec were already sitting at the large table eating bowls of cereal, the jug of milk and box of cereal still sitting in the middle of a table.

“Morning guys.” She yawned, taking one of the white bowls from the overhead cupboard and grabbing one of the spoons with a squared handle from the cutlery drawer. “Also why is there so much miss matched cutlery here?” She questioned as she sat down, a puzzled expression adorning her features.

“I think that's for you to explain, Jace.” Alec said with a smirk, causing Clary to raise her eyebrow and stare at Jace in confusion.

“It's not exactly that funny, it's just when we were kids me Alec and Izzy used to have cutlery fights before dinner sometimes and mom had to keep replacing the cutlery.” Jace explained with a blush as Clary filled her bowl with honey flavoured cereal.

“He neglects to inform you that it was him that started those cutlery fights every time without fail.” Alec teased before shovelling the last few mouthfuls of cereal into his eager mouth. Watching Alec eat was a strange thing indeed, normally he was the epitome of politeness and high stature, but around food his manors became less than appealing.

Clary smiled, digging into her own bowl of food.

“Well yeah, I guess you got me there.” Jace laughed, leaning back in his chair. He hadn't eaten much of the food in front of him, and Clary had a sneaking suspicion that he'd only fixed the bowl of cereal to keep his parabatai from complaining too much.

“So how was book club then?” Clary asked, winking at the blonde haired boy. He seemed taken aback at first but soon grinned back at Clary.

“It was great actually. I met someone great I mean.”

She could see Alec becoming tense beside the blonde haired boy but continued smiling anyway. It wasn't as if the thought of Jace being with other people bothered her, to be truthful she had expected to feel something about it but was surprised to feel nothing at all. In all honesty she was just happy for her brother, which seemed _right_.

“I'm surprised, she must be pretty special. It's nice to hear something is going good for you though.” She smiled genuinely at her brother ad continued eating her cereal. She was pleased to see Alec relax and Jace to begin eating again at this and settled into the silence of breakfast, enjoying the company of her family.


	7. Confession

By mid day the institute was bustling with activity in a way that Clary and the others had never seen it before. Groups of shadowhunters came and left the institute, some trained in the larger training rooms and others planned with the heads of the institute.

Not long after breakfast Alec and Jace had disappeared to gather their belongings, as the institute filled up the spaces for lodging dwindled and as a way of organising the mass of people the junior shadowhunters -and Luke- had all been moved to the living area in which Clary and Isabelle already resided.

The hallway that their rooms where situated in could be found down the first hallway to the right from the main entryway, on the left side sat Clary and Isabelle's rooms hidden behind their dark wooden doors along with a small training room and a separate lounge. On the right side of the hallway were the men's rooms and a small kitchen.

“There are a lot of people leaving at the moment.” Clary said a little breathlessly as she entered the training room. She was a little late for the training session they had all arranged having been held back by the mass of squads leaving the institute.

“Isabelle I thought you were going to fill Clary in on everything? You guys normally talk a lot, I mean you're good friends and such.” Alec asked, his eyebrows raised inquisitively at the dark haired girl. She evaded his gaze, opting to hide behind Jace.

“It might have slipped my mind.” Came the suspiciously quiet response. From where she stood, Clary could see Isabelle biting her lip, half hidden behind her exasperated brother. She had hoped to catch Isabelle's eye, to ask herself why the girl had disappeared without speaking with her more, but the girls dark eyes looked anywhere but at her.

“You should explain Alec, Izzy seems to be overly preoccupied with something.” Jace said, a sharpness to his words that Clary hadn't heard from him before. She saw Isabelle flinch behind him, seeming to retract further into herself.

“Fine, whatever gets us to what we came here to do faster. Magnus analysed the drug sample that we procured from the warehouse, it's a strange drug it definitely has all the normal qualities of some of the harder narcotics that are distributed in the downworld, except for one thing. There are elements of the drug that under certain circumstances, such as with a high enough dosage, could lead to an almost steroid-like mutation. We're already hearing counts of it's use but luckily Magnus was able to come up with an antidote, we're being advised to take them with us on every mission. It's kind of like a tranquilliser dart.” Alec took a drink of water as he finished, his eyes scanning her for a moment before he moved to take up a wooden training sword.

“Well now that's settled, shall we _finally_ get started.” Jace said, passing a practice blade to Clary and then Isabelle in turn. “Siblings versus siblings what do you guys say, wanna see who makes the better pair?” Jace said turning to Alec with a playful smile.

“You're on, parabatai, but don't think you'll have the advantage siding with the newest shadowhunter.” Alec retorted, moving to stand next to his sister.

“Yeah don't get too cocky, bookworm.” Isabelle chipped in, the banter being too irresistible to her playful nature.

“Well at least I wont have the most distracted shadowhunter on my team.” Jace shot back, a smug smile plastered over his features.

Just as Jace finished his cocky laugh Alec and Izzy were onto him, firing away with a barrage of well timed and placed jabs and slashes, but though they were fast Jace raised his wooden sword to meet theirs at every blow, foiling their well thought out strategy.

Clary hung back for a moment in awe at the three of them, each reading the others movements. It was almost beautiful to watch, and certainly a learning experience, but Clary couldn't help but remind them all of her presence.

Following them silently across the room Clary applied the runes for quickness and strength, waiting for the opportune moment to separate the pair that assaulted her brother intently. As Isabelle drew back, the snake around her wrist slithering toward the palm of her hand, Clary decided she needed to strike. She leapt forward, wrapping her arms around the girls slim waist and used her entire body weight to pull the girl to the side. They landed with a hard thump, the red haired girl on top, and Isabelle clawed frantically with her right hand, her trusty whip no-where to be seen.

Clary smirked down at the brown haired girl and moved to press the training sword to the exposed skin of Isabelle's neck. The dark outline of Isabelle's active runes appeared very stark against her pale skin and as Clary moved to look at the girl she found her smiling.

“You think you've won but the game is just beginning.” Isabelle teased with a wink, and with little effort she pushed Clary off of her, rising to stand in a fighting stance, her sword readied.

Clary pushed the red hair from her face as she righted herself, she was glad that Isabelle seemed to have a bit more of a spark to her now that the game was afoot. It pained her to see the dark haired girl acting differently and so the moments of normalcy between them couldn't come often enough.

Behind them the boys fought on, Alec clearly seemed to be tiring but Jace had enough energy to power an apartment building and fought against the dark haired boy easily, they both relished in the opportunity to train normally.

Launching to the right Clary rushed Isabelle, who sprung into action herself. Their blades met with a loud thwack then held fast, both girls pushing to gain the upper foot. With a final push Clary finally moved Isabelle back, the girl stumbled a second before regaining her footing and when she righted herself and as their eyes met Clary could see a myriad of thoughts and emotions flowing through the girl.

“What's going on between us Isabelle?” Clary asked desperately, keeping her voice low so the boys couldn't hear what they were saying. “I've been feeling so strange and.. You've been acting strange too and I'm just so confused.” She bit her lip and looked into the girls dark eyes hoping to find a clear answer displayed there.

Isabelle looked away for a moment before lunging forward, slashing downward with a determined force. Clary hurried to protect herself, barely catching the wooden edge of Isabelle's blade with her own.

“I.. Don't know what's going on okay? I don't do feelings. Normally. I mean well I haven't really before if you know what I mean. So. I don't know.” Isabelle bit her lip again, staring down at the floor, the pressure behind her blade easing slightly.

It wasn't the answer that Clary wanted to hear. On one hand, it seemed like there was a good chance that Isabelle did have feelings for her, but it also seemed like she didn't know how to deal with them. It was a conflicting piece of information to know, at this point Clary was coming to terms with her feelings for Isabelle and though she wasn't exactly _aching_ to find herself in another relationship so soon after everything that had happened with Jace, but the thought of never having a chance with the girl scared Clary to no end.

“Isabelle.. I..”

“Don't! Don't do it!” Isabelle shouted suddenly, jumping back and raising her sword. “Clary Fray you can save that kind of talk for IF you beat me.” She said sternly, whacking Clary's knee _hard_ with the wooden stick she wielded.

Clary recoiled in pain and grasped her knee with her free hand, nursing the throbbing area.

“Ouch Izzy, got some BITE.” Jace catcalled from the other side of the room, leaning casually against the wall from where he watched.

“Oh I'm glad you find this entertaining.” Clary said sarcastically, eyeing her brother with disdain. He chuckled in response and Alec sighed from his position on the floor next to him, his legs crossed as he eyed the girls with interest.

“I'm over here Clary.” Isabelle singsonged, prowling in a large arc around the girl to catch her attention. Clary readied herself again as the dark haired girl drew nearer, mentally scolding herself for not paying attention.

They came at each-other again, both dancing to avoid well placed swings as they danced back and forth across the room. It didn't take long for Clary to begin to read Isabelle's movements through her body language, and their fighting began to become intense. Clary managed to get a few hits in, striking the dark haired girls shoulder and back, though she received a hard hit to the back of the neck in return.

They battled on until they both began to sweat, both breathing heavily as they circled each-other, sore and exhausted.

It finally ended when Isabelle leapt forward and Clary reading her movements stepped to the side, she grabbed the dark haired girls wrist and used her foot to bring the girl to the ground. She wrestled the wooden stick from Isabelle's arms and moved to straddle her, effectively trapping the girl beneath her. Clary's thighs pressed tightly against Isabelle's hips and she leaned forward to look at the girl. Their eyes caught for a moment that seemed to last a lifetime and as she looked into Isabelle's eyes she could feel herself being pulled in. As their noses touched both girls grounded themselves in reality again, and Clary hastily pulled away from the girl

Isabelle struggled profusely to no avail, a hint of fear reflecting in her dark eyes. Finally she relaxed, going still on the thick padded floor.

“I like you Isabelle, as more than a friend.” Clary said quietly before standing to put her training sword back on the rack that it came from. She didn't miss the dark red blush on Isabelle's face as she left.

“Well I guess you win then.” Isabelle said, finally righting herself as she joined her brothers.

“Yeah, but I really don't feel like it.” Jace remarked, the sadness in his voice unmissable. He gave Clary a long look before he left the room without another word.

“I'm sorry, I'll go talk to him. Don't worry about Jace he'll be fine.” Alec gave them both an uneasy smile before he too left.

“Isabelle I'm sorry.” Clary said as the door to the training room swung shut, she felt bad that Jace was hurting over what she had said and done just then in front of him, but the pull she felt with Isabelle left no room for argument, and Clary felt like she needed admit her feelings to the dark haired girl sooner rather than later. She moved to stand in front of the girl. She placed her finger under the dark haired girls chin in order to catch her eyes. “I know it's not what you wanted to hear right now, but it's true. I can't deny it any more than I can deny the calling of my angel blood. I'm not telling you because I want to jump into a relationship with you right now though, I'm telling you because keeping it to myself is just so hard, and I don't want to lie to myself.”

Isabelle was quiet for a moment, seeming to mull over Clary's words in her mind trying to come up with a response. “This is hard.” She said finally, worrying her lip between her teeth. It was easy to see that Isabelle was struggling.

“You don't have to say anything to me just now Izzy.” She said affectionately, caressing Isabelle's jawline with her thumb. “You don't have to do anything that you don't want to, I don't mind waiting for you to figure out what you're feeling.” She gave Isabelle a sad smile, her hand dropping to her side. She ached to reach out and pull the taller girl close, to reassure her, but she knew it wasn't a good idea.

“Thank you Clary. You really are sweet.” Isabelle replied softly, she was grateful but still seemed a little hurt and Clary's heart began to ache. Isabelle smiled sadly at Clary one last time before she left the room, leaving Clary alone with her thoughts.

When she made it back to her room Clary immediately made her way to her bed and flopped dramatically onto it. Their squad wouldn't be assigned to missions for another few days while they trained together, and with time to spare after the session they had just had Clary could think of nothing better to do than crawl into her bed and wallow in her overly mature choices.

She knew that Isabelle had never really had a serious relationship, she had heard of the girls various flings with different downworlders but as far as Clary knew the dark haired girl had never seen the same person twice. She knew the girl would need time to adjust to the feelings that now occupied a space in her heart, but the more time they spent around each-other the more Clary wanted to be with the girl. It was true it hadn't really been that long since she had been with Jace, but they also hadn't really been together that long, and her feelings for Isabelle infected and spread throughout her, occupying more and more of her thoughts with each passing interaction.

Rolling onto her back she grabbed her phone from the surface beside her bed and unlocked it with practised precision. She felt the overwhelming urge to talk to Simon, her dorky and understanding amazing best friend. He would offer her some sage advice and point her on the right path, he always did.

She opened her contacts and scrolled through the names, stopping at the 'S' section to tap on Simon's name. She pressed the call button and waited patiently. She became increasingly nervous as the phone rang. Simon always picked up on the second or third ring, it wasn't like him not to pick up, and since his phone seemed to be ringing out that indicated that it still had battery and was turned on.

Her leg began to jiggle absentmindedly as she pressed her thumb against the call button again. It _was_ possible that he was just on the toilet, or something to that affect.

Deciding to wait a few minutes before calling again she crossed the room to her desk and retrieved a can of soda. Taking a seat at her desk she placed her phone next to her and halfheartedly began adjusting the picture of the sword that she had drawn before, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach.

Once she finished her can and she felt a sufficient amount of time had passed she called Simon again. Yielding the same response she began to freak out, hammering the call button again.

When it again rang out she jumped to her feet, her chair flying out behind her, her phone slipping from her hand to land on the hard floor.

“Simon.” She whispered, before taking off to find help.


	8. Lost

It seemed to take an eternity for Clary to find her brother and close friends holed up in the kitchen, she had burst into each of their bedrooms -even Alec's despite the risk of seeing something gross happening between him and his warlock lover.

  
"Clary what's wrong?" Came Jace's concerned voice immediately, the three of them staring at the flustered girl.

  
Clary launched into what she thought was happening, her words tumbling together in a panicked slur as she gestured wildly in an attempt to convey the situation.

  
"Wow what the fuck Clary slow down I can't understand what you're saying." Jace said exasperatedly, raising his hands as if to calm her. She made a frustrated noise at him and looked desperately at Isabelle.

  
"You mentioned Simon, right? Has something happened to him again?" Isabelle inquired, gazing at her intensely.

  
"Yes! That's what I was saying! Thank god someone understands me. He's gone I'm sure of it, he promised to call me and he never breaks his promises. Plus I called him like a billion times and didn't get an answer.. oh! Let me check something quickly."

  
It had completely slipped her mind that Simon had been with his friends. She pulled out her phone quick as a flash and sent a quick text to Eric asking if they had all gotten home okay.

  
"How in the hell did you get that from that mass of verbal diarrhoea? You must have some kind of weird gift Isabelle." Jace teased, earning a chuckle from Alec.

  
"I heard her mention Simon's name, and based on previous events and her very _flustered_ body language I made an educated guess." Isabelle smirked in return, her eyes catching Clary's as she spoke. The way she spoke sent a shiver down Clary's spine and she paused for a moment to compose herself, not missing the playful wink from Isabelle or the darkening expression on Jace's face.

  
Deciding to ignore the complexities of her social circle Clary took a seat at the small dining table across from Isabelle and placed her phone on the table. Jace and Alec each sat at one end of the table and seemed to be having an intense silent debate about something, Clary eyed them curiously for a moment. She felt bad for trying to avoid looking at the dark eyed girl across from her, but the situation was serious and she couldn't afford to become distracted at this moment in time.

  
Her phone vibrated very suddenly, causing them to flinch at the high pitched sound it made as it moved an inch or so across the table. Clary sighed, her notification reading that she had a reply from Eric. She paused before opening it, thinking to herself that she would much rather make a fool of herself in front of her friends than have the notion of Simon being missing again confirmed.

  
Her heart dropped to her stomach as she read the reply.

  
"Simon was camping with Eric and his band, I messaged Eric earlier and he just responded. Apparently they got back early this morning because a storm blew over, and Simon was going to call me after breakfast.." She put her phone down and rested her head in her hands. "He's in trouble I know it, I've got a terrible feeling about this."  
She heard the scraping of chair legs against the floor and soft footsteps before slim warm arms slid around her waist. She turned, her green eyes meeting with Isabelle's seemingly endless brown ones as the dark haired girl pulled her close. Clary rested her head on Isabelle's shoulder and buried her face in the pale flesh of the taller girls neck, her own arms sliding around Isabelle.

  
"It's okay Clary. I promise we'll find him, nothing bad will happen." Isabelle said firmly as she squeezed the smaller girl tightly.

  
"Uh." Alec said, coughing gently "Lets go through to the lounge."

  
"Yeah.." Jace almost whispered, standing up slowly.

  
Clary felt Isabelle pull away from her slightly and take her left hand, entwining their fingers together. They smiled shyly at each-other, a light blush dusting each of their cheeks, and followed the boys through to the lounge.

  
They settled together on the love-seat adjacent to the couch that the boys sat on, hands still clasped together. They sat so close together that their thighs touched, despite the fact that both had plenty of room around them. Clary was pleasantly surprised at how well their hands fit together, and couldn't help but feel distractedly delighted at the tiny shocks that peppered her thigh where it made contact with Isabelle's.

  
Jace lounged about carelessly, a sour look plastered on his face. His blonde hair had become messy but he'd neglected to fix it, an all too out of character lack of action for the boy. Clary frowned, she had suspected that Jace wouldn't be entirely happy with the turn Clary and Isabelle's relationship seemed to be taking, and though she did feel a strange pull to the hard featured boy they were brother and sister and Clary was perfectly happy with that. In truth Isabelle had taken her fancy in a way she never expected and though the path ahead was unclear she was all too happy to take it.

  
"So, Simon is presumably missing for around five hours at this point." Alec pointed out, checking his watch for the time. "If he was taken the trail might already be going cold."

"So we need to parabatai track him, we'll go to his house get something that's belonged to him for a while and use it to track him down, no biggy." Jace groused, standing to leave.

  
"That's one plan yes but we need a back up plan before we just take off." Alec said, grabbing Jace's wrist to stop him from leaving.

  
"I'd say we could get into camera feeds around Simon's house and see who took him but I don't think there are any functioning surveillance cameras nearby." Clary sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Her stress over the situation seemed to be growing by the minute.

  
"Alright Alec so you and I will go, if it works we'll text and all meet up. If it doesn't we come back to the institute. Isabelle knows the way to the Seelie realm after all the one night stands she's had with it's residents, we'll go and see the Queen as a last resort, she'll know." Jace smirked at Isabelle, his face smug.

  
"That's not a good idea." Alec said firmly, raising to stand next to Jace with a serious expression on his face.

  
"Fine then, got a better plan?" Jace glared, he was becoming more frustrated by the minute.

  
"It's fine Alec, he's right she has eyes and ears everywhere. Though that no doubt means she'll know we're coming if we do end up going." Isabelle spoke softly, clearly hurting.

  
"Fine. We'll go then before it's too late." Alec ordered, pushing Jace out the doorway. "We'll be back ASAP. Keep your phone on you Isabelle I'll text if we need to meet up." He stated quickly, and then they were gone.

  
"I'm sorry Izzy. I thought Jace and I were on the same page but I don't think he's quite given up on the idea of us being a thing." Clary sighed, leaning back on the couch. She had found a remote for the television on the coffee table and decided to switch it on, idly flipping through channels until she found an amusing cartoon to watch.

"You know they're modernising the institute now, apparently we're behind on the times and should have computer systems for everything." Isabelle lay back against Clary falling quiet next to her, her soft breathing barely audible to Clary's ears. Clary suppressed a shudder as she suddenly felt Isabelle's breath below her ear and the soft pressure of the dark haired girls forehead resting against her head.

  
"He does seem to really like you. Do you feel the same about him?" Isabelle asked, clearly probing.

  
Clary let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, laughing as she did so. "No, he's my brother. I did like him but there are uh _other_ people who are much more suited for me." Clary replied slowly, she could feel herself being drawn in again. The pull that Isabelle had over her was increasing, intense, and Clary enjoyed it.

  
She let her hands fall to the taller girls hips and gripped them tightly, resting her forehead against Isabelle's. For a moment they sat there content to just look into each others eyes.

  
"How can you be so attractive?" Isabelle asked, biting her lip as she looked up at Clary.

  
"How can you be so irresistible?" Clary questioned back before capturing the dark haired girls full lips in a satisfying kiss. Isabelle's arms found their way around Clary's neck, pulling her closer. Clary nipped Isabelle's lip with her teeth, eliciting a cute gasp from the dark haired girl and she grinned, sliding her tongue past Isabelle's lips. Their tongues met quickly and danced together in an elaborate rhythm and Clary moaned enjoying the feeling.

  
She felt Isabelle push her backwards on the couch, their mouths still locked together, minds in a haze. She gripped Isabelle's hips tightly as the taller girl straddled her, their hips and stomachs pressed together firmly. Clary could feel the soft skin of Isabelle's stomach against her own where their shirts had ridden up, she could feel an intense heat spreading in her core and writhed underneath the dark haired girl.

  
They gasped for air as they parted, both blushing a deep red. Looking up at Isabelle she could see how her eyes had darkened, her pupils dilated.

  
"Don't ever worry about whether or not I like you Clary." Isabelle breathed, the intensity and sincerity in her gaze overwhelming.

  
"Ahem I guess I'll just go read in my bedroom." Came Luke's unmistakable voice from the doorway, followed by a chuckle as the two girls shot apart blushing furiously.

  
"I- we uh were just.." Clary stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence, this was turning into one of the most embarrassing experiences of her life very quickly. She took a moment to look at the amused werewolf standing in the doorway, his arms were crossed against his chest but an awkward smile played about his lips.

  
"Sorry Luke, I forgot we were in a communal area." Isabelle said with a wink, regaining her composure.

  
"That's alright, I'm only slightly traumatised at finding my daughter engaging in.. foreplay.." He teased. "Wow Clary I don't think I've seen you get this red before."  
Isabelle and Luke shared a laugh as Clary shrunk back into her shirt in an attempt to hide her cherry cheeks.

  
"So what's been going on, I saw Alec and Jace take off a little while ago but they wouldn't tell me where they were going. I wanted you to know that the Clave have accepted my request to watch over you four -and Simon- which means you have my support in everything, if something's happened you need to let me know." He gave the two a stern look as he finished speaking and Clary knew from the way he was speaking that he already knew there was a problem.

  
"Simon's missing Luke." Clary said quickly, looking at the floor in embarrassment. She should have been doing more to try and find him, rather than getting so distracted by the beautiful girl beside her. She bit her lip, feeling worse now than ever. She hadn't really been in touch with Simon recently, and all he had wanted to do was check up and make sure that she was okay but he hadn't been able to. "This is all my fault, I haven't been speaking to him as much recently and he was so worried about me I really need to find him."

  
"Clary it's not your fault, but you're right we do need to find him. Where did Alec and Jace go." He sat across from them, waiting patiently for their answer.

  
"They went to see if they could track Simon with their parabatai bond, we didn't go with them though because Jace was.. frustrated.. and Alec said they'd text if it worked." Isabelle sighed, reaching to take Clary's hand again, she stroked the back of the red haired girls knuckles soothingly.

  
"I'm guessing you haven't heard back yet then. What about plan B?"

  
Isabelle and Clary shared a look, on one hand Luke would certainly be apposed to them visiting the Seelie Court but on the other it might be their only remaining option.

.  
"The Seelie Queen." Clary said quietly, waiting for a lecture.

  
"Let me make a call, I'll get the pack on the lookout. If we can't find him by midnight.. Then it may be our only option. Most of the Nephilim here are out constantly suppressing attacks from crazed drugged up downworlders right now, they wont be able to help us." His face reflected the grimness of the situation, adding to the horrible feeling building in the pit of Clary's stomach. She stood and hugged the tall dark haired man tightly before he left to contact his pack.

  
"Well at least we have Luke to help. What now Izzy? I feel helpless sitting here doing nothing." She let her head fall into her hands, her red hair spilling over her shoulders wildly.  
She felt Isabelle jump beside her as her phone vibrated wildly in her pocket. She lay back violently and jammed her hand into the pocket of her tight black jeans, wrenching it free of it's prison.

  
"Talk to me what's happening." She said quickly as she raised the phone to her ear. The call lasted only a few minutes after that, indicating that Alec was just calling to give a brief report.

  
"Not good news Clary.." Isabelle sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. "Simon's house was empty and his room was completely trashed. Desk broken, mirror smashed hell apparently even the bed was mangled. There wasn't any blood though which is a good sign. They tried tracking him with a couple of different belongings but came up with nothing. Alec thinks he might be near a large body of water." She gave Clary a worried look, squeezing her hand tightly.

  
"That means they're taking steps to avoid us tracking him.. So I doubt Luke is going to have any luck.." She could feel the tears building in her eyes, threatening to fall.

  
"It'll be alright. We'll get Simon back, Clary." She grabbed Clary's hand and pulled her to her feet, moving towards the kitchen. "Now, let's get you something to eat shall we!"


	9. Tactical Decision

By the time Clary and Isabelle found their way back to the lounge, bellies full of delicious burgers and milkshake Alec and Jace were already waiting. They were sitting on the large burgundy couch, Alec with his posture straight and somewhat stiff and Jace lay far back in the chair with his legs crossed -a controller for the games console dangling lazily in his hands as he explored dungeons as a small man shooting zombies. In the corner in each of the leather upholstered armchairs that sat next to an oak table sat Magnus and Luke, who both seemed to take amusement in the young boys.

"I just don't understand why you would want to play a game like this it's just inaccurate, and I fail to see how it could be stimulating." He frowned at the tv as he spoke, clearly unimpressed with the simple game.

"There are much better games than that one Alec, like the Final Fantasy games or the Elder Scrolls, they have really nice attention to detail in the graphics that gets better with every game that's released and it's obvious that the people that work on the games really care about them it really shows when you play them." Clary threw herself down onto the couch adjacent to the boys, watching Jace die putting him back at least five levels. 

"Man that really blows I was doing good and I just lost half of my ammunition. Yeah, we'll have to have a games night some time, we can educate Alec on what he's been missing." Jace tossed the controller on the coffee table after pausing the game. "Where have you guys been anyway?" He asked flipping the tv over to the news.

"We went to get a bite to eat together. I assumed you guys would grab something when you got back." Isabelle said offhandedly, the outside of her toned thigh rubbing against Clary's as she leaned back into the couch. The gesture caused a familiar tingling sensation where they touched, causing Clary to blush faintly.

"Yeah we did Izzy, it's nice to see you guys getting so close." Alec said with a wink, instantly relaxing as Magnus promptly placed himself next to the blue-eyed boy.

"It's weird." Jace stated, crossing his arms indignantly.

Magnus rolled his eyes, throwing an arm around his broad-shouldered lover. "Now now let's not make any unnecessary tension, shall we have a drink?" He raised a delicate eyebrow in a silent query before snapping his fingers with a mischievous smile. In a flash three brightly coloured drinks appeared on the coffee table, in front of Luke appeared a dark amber liquid with large rocks of ice. Alec seemed to be ready for his drink, presumably having had similar experiences with Magnus before, and so both were already sipping their drinks.

"Magic makes the world go 'round." Magnus said with a cheeky smile, sharing a meaningful look with his boyfriend.

"I wish I could do that." Clary joked, taking her own drink and handing Isabelle hers.

"Thank you." Isabelle smiled at her, their eyes meeting for a moment as their fingers brushed during the handoff of the cool glass. Both blushed, and Clary quickly looked away. 

The drink in her glass turned out to be quite nice, it had a faintly alcoholic taste that was mostly overpowered by a tropical fruity note. 

"Great drink Magnus, it has a really nice flavour. So, Luke, have you had any news back from the pack? It's getting pretty late now." Clary eyed the time displayed beneath the news broadcaster on the television. It was almost eleven pm, and with every passing hour, Clary's stomach tied itself tighter into a worried knot.

"We haven't heard anything yet. We might need to consider splitting up, I don't believe all of us entering the Seelie court is a good idea it would probably be best to split into two teams." Luke stood up, pacing at the entrance to the kitchen.

"Sounds like you have an idea though, let's hear it," Magnus remarked, crossing his legs and resting a hand on his cheek, his chin inclined toward Luke as if the man had his full attention.

"Well Isabelle will need to go, I think Jace and Clary should go as well. Here on the ground I can join my pack and do a wider search, I'm sure you and Alec wouldn't have to much trouble contacting Raphael see if he can get some guys out as well. The faster we find Simon the better, the longer he's gone the more likely it is that he'll be injured maybe even killed so we really need to be on the ball." He surveyed each of them, his eyes unreadable.

"If you are sure about it, then I'm in" Isabelle said passionately, one of her hands finding its way to rest on Clary's shoulder as she spoke.

"Us too." Jace nodded at Alec, who shrugged at Magnus in return.

"Well I suppose I do have some sway over Raphael, so it makes sense." The warlock rolled his eyes, taking Alec's hand in order to drag him over to the doorway. "But I promise we'll get right onto it." He had a broad smile on his face and held himself close to the taller shadowhunter, who was quickly becoming flustered.

"I-I uh... W-we'll be going, I guess we'll meet back here when we're done." He was turning beet red, and rather than saying anything else he allowed Magnus to drag him out of the room.

"Well, we all know what they're going to do." Luke laughed, knocking back the last of his drink before he too moved to stand in the doorway. "Be good, okay? Don't let the queen talk circles around you, and definitely don't touch or eat anything if you can help it alright? Stay safe." He gave them all a small smile before disappearing through the doorway.

"Why can't we touch or eat anything?" Clary asked, bewildered.

"Well, the Fey are manipulative beings. They cannot directly lie, but they can talk a mile around the truth if you know what I mean. Eating or drinking anything, maybe even touching something could bind you to the court, you wouldn't be able to leave unless you struck a deal with her." Jace explained as they left to grab the bare minimum protection.

"Basically they are all about controlling situations to benefit them." Isabelle quipped, holding the door to the weapons room open for them to enter.

Clary followed Jace in, slightly concerned at the gait the blonde haired boy had taken on. His movements had taken on a strange exaggeration, and as he clipped his belt around his waist he stared at her intently, deliberately fingering the bottom of his shirt so that a small strip of his toned stomach became exposed.

Feeling incredibly uncomfortable Clary joined Isabelle near the entrance, observing that she too already had her belt on.

"Hold still Clary." The dark haired girl whispered with a wink. She bent down slightly and revealed a second belt that she'd been holding behind her back. She held one end of it, wrapping her arms around Clary's waist to grab the other side. Her fingers blazed a fiery trail as she slowly and purposefully fastened the belt around the red-haired girl's waist.  
Clary made a small sound in the back of her throat as Isabelle's slender fingers dropped from the clasp of her belt and the taller girl straightened up to look her in the eyes once again. 

"Just one seraph blade this time Clary, we can only enter with the bare minimum, so if you have to use it promise me you'll make it count." She gave the green-eyed girl a meaningful look, only satisfied when Clary nodded in response.

A short while later the three arrived at central park, the darkness and stillness of the night creating an eerie atmosphere as they made their way over to the Turtle Pond. The small expanse of water was completely still, disturbed by nothing, and the great shining moon in the night sky reflected perfectly on its surface.

"This is it, this is the entrance." Isabelle said quietly, her shoes becoming wet as she slowly crossed over the edge and began making her way into the water. Panicking Clary followed her carefully, only catching up to the pale girl when the water threatened to soak the crotch of her jeans.

"Are you sure the entrance is here? I don't get how that would work." Jace asked, splashing everywhere as he too finally caught up. They were all soaking wet and Clary was inclined to agree with him, she couldn't see how the entrance could be in the middle of the water.

"Just make sure you both watch and copy me exactly, okay?" She gave them both a mischievous smile. Clary watched the dark-eyed girl with rapt attention, the dark clothing the girl wore had become sodden and wet, clinging to her curves wonderfully. She had moved to stand right at the edge of the reflection of the moon and was facing her two companions, her eyes closed. It seemed for a moment like nothing was going to happen, but then Isabelle began to fall backwards and then with an almighty splash she disappeared beneath the surface of the moon.

Clary cried out in surprise, surging forward to stand where Isabelle had been moments before. She thrust her arms into the water but the dark-haired girl had vanished without a trace.

"Never mind I guess it does work." Jace remarked, surprise evident on his face. Clary made a face at him and positioned herself the way Isabelle had moments before.  
She let herself fall backwards, feeling the water rush away from her and splash outwards before enveloping her completely, and then she hit the ground hard with a thump that completely knocked the wind out of her.

"I'm really sorry Clary I should've warned you about that." Isabelle said, suddenly beside her helping her to her feet. 

"It's fine, wow that was an experience and a half." Clary replied, laughing nervously. 

"You must be freezing Clary, I can fix that" Isabelle drew her stele from her pocket and traced a small rune on the inside of Clary's right wrist. Before Isabelle's stele even left her skin Clary could feel a warmth spreading through her. She sighed in relief, hugging Isabelle as thanks.

She was about to pull away and end the hug when she heard a strange low pitched sound coming from above their heads. Acting on instinct she grabbed Isabelle's shoulders and firmly pushed her to the side just as a large weight collided with her back, effectively knocking the wind out of her again.

"Thanks for catching me Clary, you must like me a lot to break my fall like that." Jace joked, dusting himself off as he stood up.

"Yes because I love to catch my fatass brother when he falls from eight foot above me." Clary groused, clambering to her feet, she hurt all over but suspected that knocking her head off of the ground a second time may have given her a slight concussion.

"Wow, I'm hurt by your accusations regarding my weight." Jace replied, feigning hurt.

"It's not my fault my back feels like a truck hit it." Muttered Clary, moving to stand next Isabelle.

"Wow, you two act more and more like siblings every day I swear." Isabelle laughed, shaking her head. "We've arrived in the Seelie realm, I imagine we'll have company to escort us to the Court soon." Isabelle sighed, seeming to be becoming more uncomfortable with where they were by the minute.

"It's fine Iz, just let me do the talking when we get there okay?" Jace said, his hand moving to check for his seraph blade and stele.

A beautiful man with long mousy brown hair tied back with elaborate ribbons seemingly forged from vines and small white flowers emerged from the surrounding trees. He had dark eyes and what appeared to be a small leaf tattoo adorning his left cheekbone. He topped a few feet before them and gave them a small bow as a way of greeting. "Isabelle Lightwood, it's been quite a while. My Queen is surprised to be visited by three young shadowhunters and has requested that I escort you to where she is residing, your weapons will be confiscated when we enter the court as per the laws of our realm. Follow me." 

He turned around and began walking back into the trees immediately, Jace and Isabelle following close behind. Clary followed behind, wondering who the man was. It was likely that Isabelle had slept with him at one point, a thought that made Clary feel warm and sick, but the way Isabelle studied the ground as they walked refusing to acknowledge him gave away her discomfort. She decided not to think about it, after all, she had known that Jace had slept with a slew of girls and that didn't bother her, so why should any of Isabelle's previous love affairs?

She sped up to walk next to the dark-haired girl and touched her hand reassuringly, smiling at Isabelle when she glanced up. 

"Aren't you put off?" Isabelle asked quietly, a nervousness to her tone.

"Of course not Izzy. Why would I be?" She responded quietly, checking to make sure Jace wasn't watching them before entwining their fingers together. She loved the feeling of holding hands with Isabelle, her skin was so soft and warm and the small amount of contact just made her inexplicably happy.

"It's just... Y'know... I've been with a few people in a sexual way. Granted I haven't really had any relationships. I just assumed that it would intimidate you." She thumbed the back of Clary's hand gently as she spoke, unable to contain her nervousness about the conversation they were having.

"Isabelle I'm not going to lie it is slightly intimidating, only because I'm so inexperienced, but I love who you are as a person and I'm really attracted to you. I wouldn't let something trivial like that come between us." She could feel Jace's eyes on her as she spoke, was aware that she had raised her voice a little but it seemed pertinent that she show Isabelle how passionate she was about the situation.

"Thank you, Clary. You really don't know how reassuring that is to hear. I've been holding myself back because of it and I just... Thank you." Her eyes glistened, causing Clary's heart to melt. It was like Isabelle to worry about everyone else before herself. 

"Here we are, please relinquish your weapons before I escort you any further, you may pick them up when you leave."

The three did as the tall Seelie asked, Jace and Clary both handing over their seraph blades and Isabelle reluctantly giving up her whip. Once they each felt sufficiently naked and the man had stowed away their weapons he led them through an ornate archway into a large courtyard. Clary felt as though she had stepped into a fantasy land as she surveyed the area, eyeing the thick dangerous looking vines that wrapped around each pillar that supported the surrounding partially covered hallway that attached to the palace that encircled them. There appeared to be at least a dozen doorways lining each of the four large corridors, each with colourful beads and flowers creating hanging doors.

They were lead to the very back of the courtyard and through a large hanging door that had thousands of sparkling golden and silver flowers adorning thick glittering vines. 

"My Queen, I have brought the Nephilim to you as you desired." The man said dramatically sweeping down onto one knee in an overly formal bow.

"Thank you, my knight, you may wait outside." Came a voice that reminded Clary of wind chimes and grass whistles.

Taking his Queens order the man left without a word, not sparing a glance for any of the gathered Nephilim. The room that the three found themselves in was decorated lavishly with nature-themed silks and large velvet cushions surrounding what looked like a Japanese style table.

The Queen sat at the table, tracing idle patterns on the white silk cloth that covered it. She had a cup of curious looking liquid that seemed unable to decide whether it wanted to be gold or silver, it had small pink petals floating on the surface swirling on their own without prompting.

"Come, children, please sit." The Queen gestured to the cushions that sat around the small table and smiled at them, showing her perfect white teeth. She looked incredibly young, something that Clary hadn't expected, yet at the same time looked beautiful, regal and had an air of maturity about her. She had long dark lashes that framed her grey eyes, and long brown hair tied back in a thick braid. The most beautiful colourful flowers that Clary had ever seen were placed neatly in her hair, yet with all of the nice things that Clary could point out about the way the Queen looked but her aura gave off an undeniable sense of danger.

"Thank you for allowing us the pleasure of gracing your presence, your majesty." Jace said carefully, bowing slightly before taking a seat on a plump forest green cushion. Isabelle and Clary copied, sitting together to the left of Jace.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company my dears? Surely the son and daughter of Valentine would not come to me were they not in dire need of assistance. Or perhaps the Clave has dispatched you here regarding the child of mine that was murdered." She narrowed her eyes as she surveyed them, her expression unreadable.

"A murder, my lady? We had not heard. I'm sorry to hear of your loss if there is anything we might do to assist you need only ask. My friends and I actually came to request your presence in search of answers, however, it seems we've come at a bad time." Jace spoke cautiously, none of them had heard of a Seelie being murdered and it could become a problem if tensions rose because they mishandled the situation.

"Yes, my dear, seemingly the work of a Vampire as she was drained of all blood. As for the answers you seek, I'm sure you are aware that my services come at a price. Please, have a drink my dears while we discuss." Another shorter Seelie woman with silver hair and shining green eyes approached the table and poured them drinks identical to the Queen's. 

Isabelle and Jace both placed their drinks down on the table in front of them however Clary cupped her drink in her hands delighting in the smell that drifted from it. Coincidentally some nearby pixies also seemed drawn to the smell and began dancing in the air around her hands, she smiled at their antics.

"Now, what answers could I possibly have for Valentine's experiments?" The Queen asked, a mischievous smile on her face. Clary eyed her suspiciously, she wasn't sure what the Queen meant by experiments but whatever it was it didn't seem likely that she would explain.

Jace bristled at her comment back kept himself cool and collected. "We wondered if you might know anything about the Infernal Conversion ceremony, or if you might know where our mundane friend Simon Lewis has been taken too." Jace said coolly, smirking at the Queen as she raised her brows in surprise.

"Well, young shadowhunter I'm afraid I can't tell you much about such a ritual, only that it would indeed bring about an era of terror, in the right hands of course. I am however curious why you might ask me such a thing." An aura of defensiveness came over her, and she appeared conflicted as if contemplating a matter of great importance.

Clary remained quite as the Queen pondered over their conversation thus far and idly began playing with one of the petals that floated about the surface of her drink. She pushed it around the rim of the cup with her index finger before pinching it and crushing it between her thumb and forefinger. The intoxicating smell increased tenfold as the petal disintegrated and she breathed in deeply enjoying the scent.

Suddenly Isabelle's hand touched her knee and she looked up, her green eyes meeting with Isabelle's worry filled dark orbs. Feeling guilty she gave the dark haired girl an apologetic look, placing her cup down on the table.

"Your mundane friends, Simon Lewis you say? I can't tell you where he is, but I can tell you whom he is with. I will tell you as a favour now, so long as you agree to in turn owe me a favour that I may call upon you in the future for your assistance." She gave them a sly smile, folding her hands on her lap as if satisfied.

"If you were to also give us some more information regarding your earlier comment about Clary and I being experimented on I would find the arrangement quite agreeable." Jace replied, smiling sweetly.

Clary felt a sharp pain in her thumb, looking down she quickly brushed away one of the pixies that had been playing around near her drink earlier. She silently cursed to herself as blood began to well up in the tiny holes left by the creature's teeth. She quickly raised her thumb to her mouth and licked the blood from her wound before anyone noticed, confused at the strange taste the blood left in her mouth.

"I can tell you that your blood is not what it at first seems if that would satisfy you. Do we have a deal then, Nephilim." Her smile widened at Jace and Clary's mirrored confusion. Jace nodded slowly after regaining his composure."The person who took your mundane friend is named Camille Belcourt, she is what you might call a seasoned vampire."

"Thank you, my lady, our time with you has been most enlightening. With that being said we will take our leave now, I'm sure we can expect to hear from you when you are in need of our services." Jace placed his hands on the table and hoisted himself up before looking expectantly at Clary and Isabelle.  
Feeling Isabelle stand up as well Clary followed suit, moving to follow Isabelle and Jace as they made their way to the door.

"Not so fast. Though three of you entered only two may now leave." The Queen smiled wickedly, sauntering over to where the three shadowhunters stood.

"What? How is that so?" Isabelle asked, a surprising edge to her tone.

"Clarissa Morgenstern ingested some of the beverage offered to you, though the two of you seem to be accustom to our ways apparently she is not." The Queen laughed, sending a chill down Clary's spine.

"What... No... I-..." Her heart dropped to her stomach as her mind pulled forth the image of blood welling up on her thumb and the strange taste that accompanied her blood. Her gaze dropped to the floor, unable to look at Isabelle or her brother.

"Clarissa stays with me."


	10. Information

Clary's head reeled, how could she have been so stupid? The Queen laughed heartily, clearly relishing the situation. Rubbing the pad of her wounded appendage absently Clary glanced at her companions, noting Jace's hate-filled and frustrated expression. Isabelle stood quietly, surveying the Queen as if she were sizing up prey, her dark eyes were narrowed and the even darker curtain of eyelashes made her look especially deadly.

Clary gulped.

"What might I do to appease you, that I may leave- your highness?" Clary asked quickly, unwilling to allow Isabelle to put herself in harm's way. Her voice shook as she spoke, her nerves betraying her.

"I do find you children and your endeavours quite interesting. I might be willing to spare you this time, providing you agree to play a little game with me." The Queen laughed again, eyeing Jace with a wicked look.

"I don't think this is a good idea.." The boy in question stated, shifting uncomfortably. His eyes met with Clary's and she could almost see the emotions warring in his mind.

"I agree." Clary said, catching the Queen's eyes and holding her stare. She pushed back the bad feeling that took residence in her stomach, the most important thing right now was leaving with the information they had gathered and finding Simon, that was what needed to take priority.

The Queen clapped, giggling gleefully as she did so. To Clary's horror, upon hearing the sound two guards entered the room and restrained both Isabelle and Jace with ease, holding long curved daggers to each of their throats.

"The game is simple, you must make a choice." The Queen grinned widely with a look of intentional malice and Clary briefly wondered how someone so beautiful could be so utterly twisted.

"If you're going to ask me to choose which of them to kill then I won't, you can kill me." Clary said defiantly, crossing her arms over her chest to emphasize her seriousness.

The Queen rolled her eyes, lazily waving a hand at Clary. "I wouldn't dare. As I said before I am finding you all quite interesting, really I just want to stir up some.. hmm emotions that are already there... I'm sure you will understand in time my dear, but for now, the game is this. You must kiss your soulmate. The daggers are just to.. Persuade you to be more cooperative." She crossed the room to sit on a large windowsill, the light that filtered through the window made her hard to see, and it became clear that she wanted now only to observe.

It sounded like she had been keeping a close eye on them, she had noted before that Clary and her brother where experiments eluding that she knew more about the circumstances surrounding their births than most others and she was now making it glaringly obvious that she knew about the situation with Jace.

Clary knew what decision she would make, she wouldn't lie to anyone there wasn't any point, but looking at the twisted expression Jace held as he tried to hold back his emotions surrounding the subject made Clary's heartbreak. She knew he still hoped, they both knew Valentine was a liar -he had brought it up multiple times before the two had actually come to an understanding. She had hoped that Alec coaching him and the new woman he had proclaimed to be seeing would help him move on, though seeing his reactions to her time with Isabelle had shown her that wasn't quite the case.

She stepped forward so that she was face to face with Isabelle and closed her eyes. They were barely a foot apart and she could already feel the temptation to reach out and hold the taller girl. Opening her eyes she glanced at Jace, his eyes were brimming with tears and he looked down in an attempt to hide them, his face displaying his shame.

Sighing, Clary turned to face Isabelle again and smiled gently at her. The dark haired girls' lips twitched and she smiled a little, though the underlying sadness still peaked through. She knew it couldn't be easy for the girl, Jace looked like his heart was breaking.

"Come on now, I don't want to be here all day I do have other matters to attend you know and I do tire of this." The Queen said impatiently, moving to stand close to them.

At the look the Queen was giving them Clary threw caution to the wind and embraced the girl in front of her, the dagger that had been pressed to her throat disappeared and she brought the taller girl close to her before kissing her fully. She felt sparks fly through her as she kissed Isabelle, she lost herself in the feeling completely. Shyly she flicked her tongue across Isabelle's bottom lip, silently begging for access. Isabelle surprised her momentarily by granting her access immediately, but Clary quickly regained herself and their tongues began to dance together. Isabelle tasted like foreign spices and exotic fruits, the taste intoxicated Clary drawing her in, and it was several moments before they parted both panting for breath.

"Are you fucking satisfied now? Can we go?" Jace asked angrily, thrusting the dagger away from his throat. His face displayed a myriad of emotions and each new one seemed more troublesome than the last. He had kept a lid on his feelings before but now they were flowing freely and he seemed to be struggling to keep control. His chest heaved as he waiting furiously, eyeing the Queen with a look that could kill.

"Yes, my knight will escort you." The Queen replied, smiling smugly at him. She waved her hand dismissively.

The same fey that had escorted them to the court appeared again and led them away from the Queen's chambers, moving a lot quicker than before. Jace was silent from the moment they left, he neglected to even comment on receiving their weapons again. By the time they made it back to Central Park, the silence grew desperately uncomfortable and Jace fell a few paces behind on the trek back to the institute.

"Maybe we should flag down a cab." Clary said, wrapping her arms around her torso in an effort to keep warm. Her teeth clattered together violently and her wet clothes chased away any potential warmth.

"Here." Isabelle said softly, taking Clary's arm. She produced her stele from what Clary presumed must be a hidden pocket and traced the outline of the warming rune on the exposed flesh.

Instantly Clary felt warmer and she smiled as thanks at the dark-eyed girl, blushing at the small display of affection.

"Anyway about that cab lets ask Jace." Isabelle said happily, whirling around to ask the blonde haired boy. After a moment of silence, Isabelle turned back frowning. "Wasn't he following us?"

"He was.." Clary trailed off, peering around Isabelle. The street was silent, only a few cars passed by now and then and not a soul appeared to be on either sidewalk that framed the road. The two shared a worried glance.

"He's gone.. This is what she wanted." Clary looked down, it was her fault for not talking to him more, and working through the situation with him.

"Don't blame yourself, Clary, Jace decided to leave he's probably clearing his head. Don't worry he'll be back." Isabelle placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, offering her some small reassurance. Clary was glad, Isabelle proved herself so capable of staying cool and collected and it made Clary ever more thankful to have her around.

"Thanks, Iz. I hope he's back before morning, he's still under surveillance." She couldn't keep the worry from her voice, the Inquisitor was still at the institute and it was likely she would use his absence against him if she found out.

"We can't worry about that right now Clary, we need to get back to the institute and meet up with the others." Isabelle took her hand and squeezed it firmly, and they continued toward the institute once more.

By the time they reached the sitting room Alec, Magnus and Luke were already seated having a drink.

Each of them perked up as the girls entered at sat on the only available couch, Magnus quickly fixing each of them their own drinks.

"Where is Jace?" Alec and Luke questioned, worried expressions plastered over each of their features.

Clary let Isabelle launch into a detailed explanation of the night, she filled them in on how they arrived in the Seelie realm, where escorted and the conversation with the Queen that ensued. She watched as their faces fell as Isabelle explained how Clary was tricked and the game they were forced to play. By the end both girls were looking down, fully feeling the gravity of the situation.

"The Queen said something about a Seelie being murdered... That pertains to one of the parameters surrounding the ritual of infernal conversion. The blood of a child of the moon, a child of the night, a child of Lilith, and a child of nature. In other words the blood of a werewolf, a vampire, a warlock and a fey. The blade must be repeatedly heated and then cooled in each of the blood types to perform the ritual. Which means we know Valentine has the blood of at least one of those creatures, I will be checking with my fellow Warlocks to make sure nothing untoward has happened to any of them, you should probably do the same Luke, I'll contact Raphael as well." Magnus paused to share a look with Luke. "So it seems we have garnered quite a bit of information, considering I can also track Camille."

"What really?" Isabelle asked, a huge smile making its way to her face.

"Magnus and Camille were lovers at one point." Alec said with a smile, he glanced at Magnus who gave him an adoring look and planted a kiss on his lips.

"Alec is just an amazing person, he hasn't held my past against me at all."

Clary smiled, it was nice to see the two so in love, they set a very high standard for what a good relationship could be and Clary hoped that she and Isabelle could have something similar in the future.

"Unfortunately Camille is the exact opposite, she's ruthless and cruel. I wouldn't put it past her to align herself with Valentine for the right price." He took a long drink and rolled his shoulders as if to stretch them out.

"Would she though? Also, I don't see why Valentine would waste his time torturing me, doesn't he have better stuff to be doing right now?" Clary questioned.

"You forget he already has the sword, he has those steroids as a nice cover to give himself some peace. All he's doing now is drawing it out for effect. He might have realised he can't have you, so he's playing with you instead." Magnus suggested, his face betraying how serious he was.

"So do you think that Camille was heading the distribution of the steroids then, and Valentine had her grab Simon to get at me at the same time?"

"Two birds, one stone. Val always did like to be efficient." Luke chipped in, seemingly agreeing with the new theory that had taken the floor.

"So, I need to stop by my apartment to get all the things I need to track her, once I have her pinpointed I'll come back and we can get ready to make our move, agreed?"

"Well, Jace ran off so it's not like we can track him, try and be quick though and safe." Alec said, smiling crookedly at his boyfriend.

"Oh, honey please, you know Warlock tracking is better anyway." Magnus said with a wink, before opening a portal with a neat flourish of the hands. "Back in a flash."

"I'm sorry about how Jace reacted." Alec said after a moment of Magnus' absence. "I tried to convince him to let go, I told him sometimes things aren't meant to be but he just wouldn't believe me. I guess Jace has always struggled to form an attachment with anyone but us and he's just taking it really hard just now. He really loves you he just needs time to learn how to love you as a sister."

"I know Alec, I'm sorry I've caused all these waves... I thought that after the conversation we had things were okay but I should have read into it more and talked to him about it. I hope that he gets past this and realises there are plenty of other people out there that will love him the way he wants." Clary and Alec exchanged a smile, she was glad that she hadn't unintentionally angered the boy by proxy but realised she needn't have worried to begin with. Out of all of them, Alec was the most mature and had a way of understanding that was enviable.

"You kids grow up so fast." Luke commented with a chuckle, completely unphased by Magnus appearing next to him with a bright flash.

"Told you I'd be back in a flash." Magnus grinned, holding up a piece of paper with scrawled writing on it. Clary squinted her eyes to faintly make out what looked like an address in the factory district.

"It's time to get ready ladies and gentlemen, I have acquired the target location."


	11. Targeted Torture

"Raphael, Camille is hiding out in a building no more than two blocks from where the Du Mort is located... Yes, I know you can handle it but there's a certain, situation. We have reason to believe she has a human hostage, the boy, Simon." Magnus paused for a moment frowning before sighing down the receiver. "Yes, Luke and his pack will be coming. If the situation is how we think it is she is likely the main source of the steroids that Valentine released onto the market. Everyone has stakes in this and we'll all have to work together." Another brief silence followed before Magnus grinned widely. "Excellent, I'll send you a fire message with the address. We'll need a while before we can mobilise so meet us there in an hour."

The phone clicked and Magnus returned to the group patiently waiting for him. "Luke you'll need to meet up with the pack and rendezvous with us later. I'll take care of this charming bunch." He gestured to his boyfriend and the girls in turn, his eyes met with Luke's and they had a silent exchange, presumably, Magnus wanted to make sure Luke knew he would take care of them to the best of his abilities.

"Of course, there's no one more capable." To Magnus' surprise, Luke pulled the man into a tight embrace and clapped his back several times before moving to hug both Isabelle and Clary in turn and finally engaging in a firm handshake with Alec. "You guys get ready, make sure you're fully armed and make especially sure to carry steroid neutralising agent with you. It's likely Camille will keep a few 'roided up vamps around." He then nodded before exiting the room.

"Isabelle, Clary since Jace isn't here I'll be acting as unit captain. Isabelle, I know you don't normally carry many blades but I want you with at least a seraph sword and a couple of daggers for back-up I don't want you caught off guard if an enemy gets your whip away from you. Clary on your belt you can fit six seraph blades, are there any other weapons you've practised with that you feel comfortable carrying on your back?" He turned to Clary, his eyes gleaming with the thrill of the hunt beginning and Clary couldn't help but smile at him.

"I've used a staff when practising with Isabelle but otherwise I don't really have much experience with varying weapons yet..." She trailed off, wondering if she should have already looked into different weapon types. At the beginning she had mostly been interested in the runes, they called to her and had a way of captivating her that left her wondering. On the other hand, after a few missions she couldn't deny she enjoyed the hunt, but that didn't necessarily mean she was prepared. Most shadowhunters were probably proficient in multiple weapon types.

"That's okay, a seraph staff is a good choice it's light so you'll be able to work with it easier and it won't weigh you down or restrict your movement too much. Also, don't get the idea that all shadowhunters use all weapons. Some, like myself, are more specialised." He smiled at her and for a moment he looked like he felt awkward, but that quickly melted away when she smiled back at him.

"Look at you big brother you're making an excellent tutor." Isabelle complimented, injecting herself into the conversation.

"Okay, now that you have a plan we should get ready, you all go get geared up and meet me back here in ten minutes alright?" Magnus clapped, smiling warmly at them. They murmured their agreeance and filed out of the room.

They moved quietly down the hallway, being as early in the morning as it was there weren't too many shadowhunters around currently. Most were out on surveillance jobs, filing reports or sleeping. It would arouse suspicion if they were seen but the chances were slim. Never-the-less they stepped lightly and kept close to the walls no words being exchanged between them. 

They slipped into the weapons room and flipped the lights on, relieved to find the place deserted. It had taken them almost three and a half minutes to reach their destination, so with a nod, they dispersed to ready themselves, silently agreeing to meet up with roughly the same time to spare.

Clary made her way to the seraph blades and attached six of them to her belt, three on either side. It took her a moment to find a seraph staff that she could use and even longer to find an over the shoulder holster for it, stashed in one of the several drawers beneath the weapon hanger. She attached the holster hastily, making sure it pressed tight to her chest like she had been shown before and easily stowed the seraph staff over her right shoulder.

Once finished she met up with Isabelle and Alec who were waiting patiently by the door. Isabelle gave her a sly wink as she approached, her thick long lashes brushing against her cheek as she did so. Clary loved Isabelle's eyes, they were like endless dark pools and she longed to have the opportunity to just lose herself in them.

Shaking the thought from the forefront of her mind they exited the weapons room, flipping the lights off as they did so. The hallways were equally as quiet on their journey back to the lounge, a confirmation of how late the hour truly was. Magnus was humming to himself when they re-entered the lounge, he was nursing a dark amber liquid with perfect cubes of ice.

"My you all look ready to party if you know what a mean." He remarked with a dazzling smile, Clary and Isabelle couldn't help but giggle meanwhile Alec gazed dreamily at his boyfriend.

"So why did you want us geared up so quickly Magnus?" Clary asked, genuinely curious. She assumed they still had at least forty minutes before they needed to arrive.

"The thing is its been twenty minutes, Raphael is not likely to wait and Luke texted saying his pack was having trouble. So we're leaving in ten minutes instead. But I don't want you going into a fight distracted, are you both feeling okay at the moment? I know you're feeling fine baby." He blew Alec a kiss and made the come-hither motion with his index finger, clapping gleefully when his boyfriend complied and plopped down next to him.

"I'm worried about Jace. I haven't been thinking about him or talking to him enough and now he's gone I feel like it's my fault." Clary blurted out, worrying her lip between her teeth. It wasn't normal for them to go into battle without him, and it would kill her if she had caused their group permanent damage with her feelings.

"Biscuit, look at me. Jace is a big boy and thought he may not have experience with this kind of situation he will learn to overcome it. You should be happy, you've opened a new door for him. When he gets past all of this he'll want to find something similar and find a healthy relationship. I know it's hard just now but he's experiencing essential personal growth just now."

"Thanks, Magnus, I know. I guess all we really can do is wait and hope he doesn't do anything too dramatic." Clary rubbed her temples, she felt tired but everything that Magnus said also made sense and it relieved her a little.

"See Clary, everything will be fine." Isabelle touched her hand tentatively, smiling shyly. "Though, knowing my brother it will definitely be dramatic." 

"If I may say, though. Girls I've seen the way you two interact, your personalities are both wonderful and are only magnified by the other's presence. I know its not my place to say, but I think you might have something wonderful to look forward to together and while I like and respect Jace I think you should also take the time for yourselves." He looked at Isabelle as he spoke and she paused for a moment, take by surprise by his kind words.

"Thank you, Magnus, I promise I'll keep your words in mind. I will always worry about Jace until he gets past this but I agree with you completely." She squeezed Clary's hand as she spoke and it filled the red-haired girl with an overwhelming feeling of warmth. Her and Isabelle could be a thing and Magnus totally wanted them to be.

"Now that that's settled, let's head off I do believe we are running a little late." Magnus clicked his fingers and swirled his arms with a flourish, the portal materialising before them within moments.

The sight that they were met with when they arrived left Clary unnerved. It wasn't every day you went from a quiet lounge to a walkway packed with wolves and vampires parted like the red sea and glaring at each other with intense ferocity.

Raphael and Luke stood at the head of their respective groups, both looking tense but amicable. Magnus motioned for them to wait and strode over to the two to converse.  
Taking the opportunity Clary produced her stele from her belt and began tracing over the fading outlines of some runes she thought might help; strength, night vision, speed, fortitude, stamina being some of them.

"You're acting more like a shadowhunter with every passing mission." Isabelle said affectionately, looking at her freshly applied runes proudly. 

"Okay, we're going in first as a unit with Luke and Raphael." Magnus said quickly after jogging over to them. "It's a lavish building that's not finished being renovated yet it's supposed to be apartments. There are nine main floors and a penthouse apartment that takes up the tenth floor that's likely where she's going to be. The vampires will be following behind us relatively closely and the wolves will be surrounding the building and providing cover for the vampires. We need to make sure no one slips through. It's going to be messy business tonight guys and we need to move in now before we arise suspicion. Everyone ready?" He waited for them to nod in response before turning on his heel and leading them over to Luke and Raphael.

"It's a nice night for a party wouldn't you agree?" Raphael asked as they joined him, the streetlights made his fangs glint as he smiled.

"I'd have to agree with you on that one vamp, let's hope we finish this before dawn breaks through." A familiar cool voice rebutted and the three shadowhunters turned, surprised to find Jace.

"I'm back, I wouldn't leave my sister to save her best friend without me, what kind of brother would I be?" Jace smiled at Clary, a more real smile than she had seen from him in a while, she grinned in response.

"I'm glad you're back Jace." Isabelle whispered, tears glistening in her dark brown eyes. She stepped forward and hugged him tightly, sniffling when he returned the hug.

"Well isn't this nice and gay." Raphael joked, rolling his eyes at the offending youths.

"Anyway, Clary. We've been able to confirm Simon's scent. It's highly likely that he's here. Raphael is taking the lead, Jace you and I with flank him, then Isabelle and Clary. Alec and Magnus, you're both better at ranged attacks so I'd like you to back the group." Luke commanded their attention with the briefing, satisfied at Jace's full attention and approval.

"Sounds good, Magnus and I make an excellent team." Alec said with a grin and they set off.

The building loomed over them as they approached, large and silver with large windows most of which had paint stained sheets covering them evidence of the ongoing renovations. The entryway had two sets of double glass doors with chains and clipped locks laying on the ground as if the place had recently been broken into. They filed through the door on the left into the foyer. The floors were all white and grey marble with a large checkered doormat at each of the entrances. Along both walls were sets of what looked like small lockers, presumably for mail, and a door at each corner next to an elevator. 

The pressed forward opting to use the stairway straight ahead of them to advance, it was carpeted and offered a quieter approach. Vampires filed in behind them, two small groups splitting off to enter the doors that led to the ground floor apartments. They needed to search every inch of this place and find out everything.

Raphael headed up the stairs staying close to the walls and the rest of the group followed closely behind. The walls in the stairwell had already been painted a stone grey and with the lights off it left Clary feeling cold. Above them scuffing and scattering noises could be heard and Raphael stopped frequently to exchange looks with Luke as they ascended.

It wasn't until they reached the seventh floor that anything happened, the rest of the vampires were no more than a floor below them on the stairs when chaos broke out. A twisted figure burst through the front of the coven sending vampires flying like bowling pins. Alec turned quickly, his bow drawn already and Magnus doused the tip of his arrow with a vial of the neutralising agent. The monstrosity grabbed a young looking male vampire with brilliant blue hair taking him in its stretched out hands. Alec fired the arrow and it struck right on the mark, but not in time to save the boy. Moments before the arrow hit home the beast tore the boy in two, his entrails spilling out in an ark and blood spilling out everywhere as the beast writhed from the solution and tanked, twitching on the ground. The surrounding vampires, wild after witnessing the brutal murder of a brother jumped on the convulsing form and began tearing it to pieces.

The whole fiasco kept them distracted long enough for two more of the beasts to get in front of them. Clary whipped around hearing them approach and she wrenched a seraph blade from her belt. "Dani!" She cried and the blade flared to life. She launched forward as one of the mutated vampires lunged for Raphael and swung her seraph blade down as hard as she could. She met with some resistance and with a thunk the vampire's arm, now detached, fell to the floor. 

It let out a scream and Raphael launched for its face, he grabbed ahold tight and wrenched the vampires head to the side in an attempt to break its neck. As the vampire spun and punched at Raphael with its remaining limb a wolf, Luke, jumped clean over them and began engaging with the second vampire.

Isabelle readied her whip and flicked it at the legs of the first vampire, she pulled as hard as she could and managed to take the thing down, Raphael restraining it as best he could. Clary leapt forward seeing the opportunity and plunged the tip of her seraph blade into the vampires eyesocket, grimacing at the blood.

Magnus and Alec managed to help Luke neutralise the second vampire, who also met an untimely demise and they were once again free to press on. They carefully moved past the eight and ninth floor with no resistance and as they came to the end of the staircase an open door awaited them.

"This isn't right. She knows we're here." Raphael hissed as they waited at the doorway. It was dark inside and impossible to make anything out, even for the vampire leader and Luke.

"It's a trap, but what choice do we have." Magnus replied and the entered.

It took a few moments for the group to congregate in what they assumed was the middle of the room and no sooner had the done so when the lights flashed on.

"It's a pleasure to see you again Magnus," Camille said with a smile that was deceptively nice.

"I wish I could say the same, Camille. Where is Simon." Magnus stepped forward as if to shelter his group. He knew the capabilities of this woman better than any of them, he knew what she could do to them at any minute.

"Oh. Yes. The boy, well he's a little bit drunk right now and not in the way you'd like." Camille laughed, though she moved to one of the many doors surrounding the room and knocked four times anyway.

Moments later a shadowed figure pushed Simon out through the doorway. He had dried blood caked to the side of his forehead, likely from when he was kidnapped and fresh blood lining his lips.

"Camille what have you done! This is against the accords, do you want to start a war?" Raphael barked, looking at Simon with a sad expression. 

Clary looked on in horror, it was definitely Simon but not in a way that she had ever seen him before. He looked like he was stoned with a dopey smile on his face, his eyes were barely open and he stumbled as he walked towards Camille.

"What have you done to him!? Give him back!" Clary cried with tears in her eyes.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, you see Valentine specifically asked me to do this. He said and I quote 'It is for Clarissa's own good.' " She grinned at Clary with a devilish look in her eyes and Clary made to lunge forward.

"Not so fast, girly." Camille snarled and vampires began pouring into the room surrounding them in a semi-circle where the only option was to watch Camille.

Out of the corner of her eye, Clary saw Jace subtly gesture to the corner of the room. There she saw a hooded figure, she couldn't make out many features other than a lucrative smile but Clary could feel in her gut that it was her father. He wanted to watch, wanted to revel in her pain. Tears filled her eyes.

"And now Clarissa Morgenstern, a two-person show just for you. A gift from Valentine." She grinned and maintained eye contact with Clary. They could do nothing but watch, the threat of the surrounding enemies looming over them.

Camille stepped behind Simon, running her fingers through his tousled brown hair. 

"Nothing personal sweety, just doing my job." She pressed a long sharpened red nail to Simon's throat and pressed in blood spilling from the wound. Clary sobbed, tears spilling from her eyes, she heard a collective gasp from the rest of the group as Camille jerked her hand to the side, slicing Simon's neck wide.

He dropped to his knees, blood staining his neck and his dorky dungeon crawler shirt and Clary screamed thrusting herself forward.

Camille and the hooded figure met up and parted for the door and the rest of the vampires dove in. Mass fighting ensued, Clary stabbed and sliced killing anything and everything that tried to prevent her from reaching her best friend. She could see the blood collecting around his body, knew that with every passing moment it was more likely he would be dead when she reached him.

She heard Alec scream as she dispatched the last of the vampires blocking her path and cursed out loud to herself as she whirled around and thrust herself back in. He was dead anyway, she knew he was dead. 

The tears kept falling as she hacked and slashed her way over to Alec who lay on the floor with Magnus clutching him shielding him with his magic. She could see that Magnus was crying, she refused to lose another friend tonight. She embedded her third seraph blade in the skull of a vampire and neglected to retrieve it, grabbing another from her belt.

"Sidriel." She whispered, crying out in pain as a vampire tackled her. She felt immense pain in her ribs as she tumbled to the floor but still, she battled on, beheading the vampire soundly. She took on another three, relieved when Isabelle appeared to back her up looking furious. 

Isabelle threw a dagger at the smaller vampire on the right, making a satisfied sound when it pierced the heart of the creature. Clary charged to take on the other two, ducking and jumping to avoid blows. She lunged forward catching the larger of the two off guard and thrust her sword into his chest, tumbling to the floor with him as he fell back. His friend tried to jump in but Isabelle whipped his leg and took him down long enough for Clary to wrench her blade free and drive it into the heart of the second vampire.

Jace Raphael and Luke were just finishing up and friendly vampires had begun filtering into the room when Clary finally made it over Alec he didn't look good at all. 

"I can't heal him it's too serious." Magnus sobbed grasping the limp clammy hand of his partner.

Clary dropped to her knees next to him and closed her eyes willing a solution to present itself. She simply could not deal with losing two friends in one night. She wouldn't let it happen.

Reaching for her stele she pushed up Alec's shirt to find a clear patch of skin.

"What are you doing Clary there's no rune for healing something like this." Luke said softly. He was probably right, the damage was extensive. From Alec's left shoulder to the middle of his right ribs a long deep gash about three inches wide marred his flesh.

"Let her do it, Luke. You'll understand." Jace replied moving forward to kneel beside his sister. He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. "I know you have it in you. I'll take care of Simon." He reassured her softly before leaving with Luke and Raphael to tend to Simon.

Her mind clear and focused Clary pressed the tip of the stele to Alec's clammy flesh and began to draw a small winding and intricate design. She traced over it several times and Magnus slumped forward, crying silently. On the tenth trace the outline began to glow with an almost blinding golden light and suddenly Clary could smell a fresh meadow and hear birds chirping. She saw the glow envelope the frayed edges of Alexander's wound and watched astounded and amazed as it began to sew itself back together.

It took a few minutes for the rune to stop working but by the time the glow began to subside Alec's face was peaceful and the colour was returning to him. "Thank you.. sister." He croaked, one eye cracked to survey the red-haired girl.

"Clary, I love you." Magnus sobbed.


	12. Ultimatum

It took Clary a few minutes to calm herself before she went to see Simon, however, embracing the Nephilim ways she composed herself, compartmentalised. She took her emotions over the subject and sealed them away as best she could.

It was Raphael that came to escort her over, Magnus had calmed down a few minutes before and started to run some diagnostic tests over his lover determined to ensure his safety. 

"I am sorry you had to see this, Clarissa. After losing the clan it is likely that Camille has sided with Valentine in a twisted attempt to scare them into following her. It's not working, but she has caused a lot of waves that will ripple long into the future and for that, I am truly sorry." His words were filled with emotion and backed with soft sorrowful features. He turned to the side, his hand open suggesting she walk in the direction of where they were keeping him.

She couldn't see him as they approached, Luke, Jace and Isabelle were crouching over him talking softly to each other, she had a feeling they were talking about her but she didn't want to think about what they might be saying.

As they took their final steps toward him Raphael cleared his throat to gain the others attention. They stood up, almost in unison and each turned to look at Clary still blocking her view of Simon.

"Clary..." Isabelle began, clearly unsure of how to proceed with what she wanted to say.

"Guys it's okay." Clary said softly, though she could hear the brokenness in her own voice and felt her throat tighten a little.

"No, it's not, what you just had to see... What Raphael wants to tell you. I don't know if its right to put you through that." Luke came out, frustration evident in his tone.

"I know you want to protect me from this but you cant, I saw it happen and whatever Raphael wants to say can wait for now I just want to apologise to my friend." She stopped, feeling the tears building slowly in her eyes. She closed them and breathed for a moment, she was aware that it might look weak but she needed to keep herself composed.

Isabelle stepped forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Clary's forehead, her hand lingering playing with dangling red locks. "I'll be close by if you need me." She gave a small smile, worry lurking in her dark orbs and then she and Jace departed presumably to see Alec.

Clary watched the two walk away for a moment before she turned around, she knew she was just procrastinating, in the end, it didn't matter if she turned around now or in thirty minutes the result would be the same. At the end of every scenario, she could think of, seeing Simon's dead body was an inevitability. 

"I'm here for you Clary." Luke said softly, laying a shoulder on her arm in a fatherly gesture. "It's never easy to see a friend like this, you don't have to do it alone."  
She leaned into his touch, silently thanking him for always being there for her and with him beside her she finally moved to kneel beside her friend.

"Simon." She whispered, he looked peaceful but the marred flesh of his neck stood out and drew her eyes away from his face. She felt the tears welling up again looking at his throat and the blood that stained his lips and chin. She felt nauseous and biting her lip she looked away, unable to look at what she was unable to prevent.

"You don't have to stay here just now, its okay if you're not ready Clary." Luke offered, he touched her arm reassuringly worry evident in his features.

"Perhaps now Clary should come and speak with Magnus and me in private. We can get some refreshments and you can have a break while we discuss the matter at hand." Raphael spoke softly, keeping his statements oddly elusive. It made Clary worry for a moment, but the thought of looking at Simon again made her nausea flare to life and so she nodded quickly in agreement, offering Luke a quick apologetic smile as she allowed herself to be helped up and led away by the charming vampire.

"Magnus, is your partner well enough to travel with us back to your apartment for a private conversation?" Raphael asked politely, striding over to the grim-faced warlock with Clary in tow.

"Yes, thanks to this wonderful young lady you have with you." Magnus smiled. The exchange offered Clary a brief respite and she offered the warlock a smile in exchange.

"I'm just glad I could help my brother out." She winked at Alec and received another smile and then a rather unexpected hug.

"I'm here for you Clary."

The statement both filled Clary with overwhelming love for the usually stoic boy and reminded her of the depravity of the situation. However before she had time to fall back into her mess of emotions Isabelle grabbed her hand, Magnus created a portal and they were off.

The next ten minutes went by in a blur, Magnus busied himself conjuring drinks and meals for everyone and Isabelle distracted her as Raphael, Jace and Alec laid out the dining room table as Magnus instructed. It was nice to have a few minutes to themselves and to see the boys all working together in such a menial way.

Shortly after they were all seated at the dining table, which was a large glass rectangle with a wrought iron frame with two stools on each side and a stool at each end. Raphael and Jace fell into the seats at both ends of the table allowing the girls to sit side by side and Magnus to stay close to Alec.

"So what was the conclusive report from your clan then Raphael, to start off." Magnus asked twirling a gleaming silver fork in a pile of spaghetti bolognese.

"There wasn't much on the lower floors some evidence pointing toward them holding Simon in a few different rooms before moving upstairs. There were some stray vampires that my people took care of and before you ask both kinds, overkill and regulars. Basically, they hadn't been in the building for too long no more than six hours. It looks like their sole purpose was to have that display" he spat the word like it was venom in his mouth, his brow furrowed in distaste "and then escape while we were overcome with the mass of them. We killed a hell of a lot of her people but she'll likely just make more."

"So what was his endgame then. What did we miss." Jace groused, he looked exhausted and frustrated. He sighed rubbing his temple, his blonde hair rustling as he did so.

"Did we make sure to do a body count? We just found out Valentine is looking for one of each type of downworlder blood and already has a fey, what if he wanted to get to Clary and conveniently have wolves and vampires right in front of him. During a battle, no one would notice people going missing, right?" Alec said quickly, placing his fork down on his plate rather suddenly.

Magnus nodded at his boyfriend and quickly sent a fire message to Luke asking him to do a pack count.

Clary picked at the roast dinner in front of her, eating small amounts of mash, gravy and chicken as she listened to the conversation. It was a nice gesture from Magnus giving her a large comforting meal but she didn't really feel like eating.

"We do have a more pressing matter to attend to though, if I may Clarissa." Raphael said seriously, he eyed her with a quiet curiosity waiting for her confirmation before he continued.

"Of course Raphael, you've been more than patient with me." She offered the vampire a small smile, he truly was a charming man and had shown more compassion than she would ever think he would towards her during their situation.

"You are too kind. As you know, Simon was exposed to vampire blood before he passed away. Whose blood it was we cannot say but because of their actions, you now have a choice. Also, I know it may not be of any comfort to you but when a human ingests vampire blood certain effects take place, it more often than not leaves the human in an almost drugged-like state. What I am trying to say is this is why Simon came willingly to Camille and also that he likely did not feel much in the end." 

Raphael's words left Clary feeling confused, she had read about the effects of vampire blood during her studies but the full knowledge eluded her.

"I see." She whispered, feeling a tear slide down her cheek. She felt Isabelle's hand on her knee and steeled herself once more. "What choice do I need to make?"

"It is possible now for Simon to be reborn. He has been given the blood of our kind and now if he is buried he will have the opportunity to rise once more. If you do not wish for him to have this opportunity he will need to be cremated. That is your choice Clarissa Fairchild, I am sorry that it is yours to make." He gave her a sad smile before turning to address the group. "I must leave now to do a head and body count. Simon's body will be brought here and I will return when I do I will ask for your answer." With a brief nod he downed the blood from the tall glass Magnus had given them and then disappeared from the room.

Clary stood up, suddenly feeling more tired than she ever had and made her way over to Magnus's couch. She threw herself down unceremoniously and relaxed her entire body, closing her eyes. She enjoyed the darkness her closed eyelids provided, it felt like she was shutting the rest of the world away if only for a moment.

She heard the rustling of fabric before a familiar weight settled onto the couch next to her.

"You don't have to say anything Clary, just listen." Isabelle said, gently playing with the red hair that spilt over Clary's left shoulder. "Jace and Alec are not exactly okay with the thought of bringing Simon back, I don't know how to feel about it myself but I promise you we are all behind you all of the way, no matter what decision you come to. Luke as well, he decided and doesn't want to know the details so he can better protect you from the clave if you do decide to go through with it."

Clary let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding in and opened her eyes to look at the beautiful dark-haired girl beside her. "You don't know how much that means to me. Also, I want you to know I think you're beautiful."

Isabelle blushed, unable to hide the smile that blossomed on her face at the compliment. "Thank you... That's another thing actually... Uhm..." She blushed darker, her cheeks resembling the colour of freshly bloomed roses. Clary smiled, a warm feeling accompanied by butterflies filling her stomach. "Clary I know this might not be the best time, but I want you to be my girlfriend." Isabelle stated, her face turning serious as she studied Clary waiting for a response.

Clary grinned.

"That would make me so happy." She grabbed the taller girl and pulled her into a tight hug. Enjoying the private moment they were having.

"You don't know how amazing that is to hear you say Clary." Isabelle said pulling away slightly, she smiled and pressed her forehead against Clary's.

"I'm glad you decided to try a relationship with me though Izzy, seriously. I promise I'll do my best to keep you happy, in every way I can." Clary blushed realising the innuendo and the two exchanged a shy smile.

"Yay! Should we celebrate with shots?" Magnus asked, clapping as he bustled over to them.

"Uh did you hear all of that Magnus?" Isabelle asked, her face turning beet red.

"Of course, this is my house after all." The warlock replied with a mischievous grin.

"Then yes I'm going to need at least one shot and don't you dare discuss that with my brother later!" Isabelle groaned, rubbing her temples as if to ward off an oncoming headache.

"No promises." Magnus giggled, having more fun with Isabelle than the girls' cheeks seemed to be able to handle. Clary laced her fingers through Isabelle's and observed the two with a smile.

"Come on Magnus you have to tell me as well, how embarrassing was it really? She's acting like she was being really corny and doesn't want to reveal her true nature" Jace teased as he came over to sit with them, eyeing the multicoloured frothing shots with vague interest.

"Guys please let's just have a drink and forget about anything happening." Isabelle said rolling her eyes, normally she would poke fun at the two mischievous boys in return but she truly did want her moments with Clary to be private.

Magnus smiled at her offering his hand in a sign of peace. "I understand Isabelle, honestly, I would never betray either of your trusts like that. Clary knows that's why she didn't say anything, right biscuit?" He asked with a wink.

"Of course, Magnus is a man of honour." Clary played along, unable to hide her smile.

"Oh come on not you too Clary." Isabelle groaned though she smiled nevertheless.

Alec eyed the liquids in the shot glasses with clear suspicion. "Magnus, honey, what exactly are these?" He asked tentatively, raising an eyebrow at his cat-eyed lover.

"They're nothing too wild trust me, I wouldn't get everyone absolutely smashed, it's just a little celebration drink." He smiled, laying on some charm and kissed the dark-haired boy passionately. "Don't worry about it, okay?" 

"Alright, okay." Alec smiled back, picking up his shot in a sign of defeat.

Clary and Isabelle leaned forward and both took their shots as well, Jace having already picked his up and started sniffing it and Magnus had been holding his the entire time.  
"I propose a toast." He said, garnering their attention. "To new beginnings."

"New Beginnings." The group echoed before downing the brightly coloured fluid. Her face scrunched as the taste passed over her tongue, it was a very alcoholic tasting shot with a burn and a kick to it, but she couldn't quite place what the underlying sweet tone was.

"Wow, that had a kick." Clary croaked, her throat still burning from the alcoholic liquid. She placed the glass back down on the table upside-down like Jace and Magnus had and waited for Alec and Isabelle to do the same.

She wasn't sure she knew what to do about Simon, the choice seemed obvious. For her there wasn't a world without Simon in it, he was an essential part of her life, he was family and she felt like she had already lost so much family. How could she bear the thought of losing Simon too? So the logical choice would be to bury Simon.

But it wasn't that simple, sure Simon loved the supernatural. He loved watching movies and playing role-playing games but that didn't necessarily mean that he wanted to be put into one of those scenarios. In fact, he hadn't wanted anything to do with her world, hadn't wanted her to have anything to do with it.

"What are you thinking about, Clary?" Jace asked, his eyes studying her though his face betrayed none of his own emotions. 

"I'm thinking about how conflicted I'm feeling right now." Clary answered honestly. She wanted advice but she couldn't ask for it without being completely honest.

"It's normal to feel conflicted when given a choice like this." Alec said softly, his eyes settled on her for a moment before he looked away, running a hand through his messy brown hair. 

"I might be able to help you come to a decision if you'd like Clary." Magnus offered, clicking his fingers together to conjure another round of shots for the small group.

They each took their drink, opting to engage in another round before continuing the conversation. Clary was grateful, the second shot burned less and left a pleasant tingling to spread throughout her body.

"You were saying, Magnus?" She asked, her hand wandering to Isabelle's thigh where she traced light circles with her index finger, the dark-haired girl made a noise in her throat at the contact and Clary smirked.

"The truth is that the road will be difficult no matter what decision you make and trust me when I say no one is going to judge you either way because both decisions are fucking hard to make." He let the emotion come through in his words, looking at her meaningfully. "The point I'm making is that you should choose what you think will make you the happiest in the long run, it's your decision just now and any doubts or insecurities Simon might face if you choose to bring him back he will have people to support and teach him."

His words hung in the air for a moment and Clary ceased her actions, taking a moment to think about what the warlock said.

It wasn't long after that Raphael walked in, accompanied by two of the members of his coven who she assumed where there to deliver Simon's body because they only stayed for a few minutes before leaving.

"Ah Raphael, join us. We were just discussing with Clary, I'm not sure if she's ready to give you an answer yet." Magnus explained as the vampire came over to sit with them.   
He occupied a lone armchair, the last open seat in the circle. He studied them for a moment, his legs crossed as he lounged in the chair, his eyes lingered on Clary for a moment and he smiled. 

"I have come to a decision, actually." Clary said with all the confidence she could muster. All she had to do was make the decision and stick with it.

She felt Isabelle's fingers entwining with her own, reassuring her silently. She squeezed the dark-haired girls hand in response, trying to convey that she was okay.

"I see, I am most interested. Please do go on Clary." Raphael leaned forward in his chair as he spoke, suddenly intensely interested. She realised a lot must be riding on this for him and she hoped that her response would satisfy him.

"First I wondered if I could ask a question or two if that's okay?" She asked nervously, giving the vampire a careful smile.

"Of course, I will tell you what I can about whatever it is that you wish to know."

"I just wanted to know if you would be taking Simon in if I did decide to bring him back. I would need to know he'd be supported by his own kind, I don't want him to feel like he's been brought back and thrust into a world he has no place in I want to make sure he's welcome. He's my friend and I want the best for him..." She trailed off, it was difficult to think of Simon feeding on blood to survive but at least he would be alive.

"You needn't worry about these things Clary. If you decide to bring him back he is as good as family and you also by proxy. I will do everything in my power to do right by him and by you." Raphael answered, his face sincere. It provided Clary with a semblance comfort that there would be a safety net for Simon, he was one of her favourite people in the world and he deserved the best.

"Then I've decided, I want to bring Simon back."


	13. Rebirth

“Are you sure Clary? You can't go back after.” Jace sighed, he looked somewhat defeated and Clary was sure on she was disappointing him.

“I'm sure. I can't just let him die knowing I could have brought him back, it's too much for me. It'll be a lot for him to handle at first… but I know he'll pull through.” She sat back into the couch and crossed her arms signalling the end of any discussions on the matter.

“We will need to move quickly then, there are only a few hours of complete darkness left. Is there any place of significance that you would like to bury him, Clarissa?” Raphael asked, standing up and straightening his jacket while gazing at her with a raised brow.

She thought for a moment, Simon and his family practised the Jewish faith. There were customs that would normally be abided by with his burial but she didn't really have the time. “We could bury him in the cemetery of a Synagogue, his family were Jewish so it makes sense.” She said quietly, her throat tightening. He wasn't going to stay dead, she had to remind herself, it would only be temporary.

“Magnus? I'm sure you could portal us to an appropriate location.” Raphael smiled at the warlock and the two exchanged a look before Magnus nodded sharply.

“I'm sure I can. We'll need to get Simon before we go through...” Magnus stretched out not unlike a cat and idly rubbed the shoulder of his stoic boyfriend sitting next to him.

“I've never seen a fledgeling rise before.” Alec stated offhandedly, his shoulders visibly relaxing at the touch of his lover.

“Me either, it'll be a learning experience for everyone and a big fuck you to Valentine, of course. Hey, Magnus how about one for the road?” Jace joked, shooting a grin past his brother at the cat-eyed warlock.

“Hey, Clary...” Isabelle whispered, giving Clary an excuse to shut out the ongoing conversation and focus on the dark-haired beauty beside her.

“What's up?” She whispered back, her lip raised slightly in a half smile. Their eyes locked for a moment, brown eyes mirroring green and the reality that was the rest of the room began to peel away until only they were left.

Isabelle eyed her carefully for a moment, worrying her lip between her teeth, the brilliant white a stark contrast against her crimson painted lips. “I just need to make sure. I know Jace already asked, but you're sure you want to go through with this and it's not to get back at Valentine?” Her tone was concerned and Clary vaguely wondered if Jace's comment had worried Isabelle. It was true, Simon rising again as a downworlder would be a clear act of defiance that Valentine likely wouldn't take well, but that wasn't why she wanted to bury him.

“Izzy you don't have to worry, I just want my best friend back that's all. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget seeing him with his throat cut open, dying, but maybe I can get past it if I bring Simon back. If not, his death will be on my hands forever and I don't want that.”

“It wasn't your fault though Clary… but I respect your decision, I just wanted to make sure it's out of love, y'know.” Isabelle smiled at her, eyes cast downward. She seemed relieved which in turn left Clary with a sense of peacefulness that she couldn't quite place.

“There are a lot of things I would do out of love, this is one of them, maybe I'll show you some of the other things in the future...” Clary grinned, feeling truly accomplished as a fresh blush broke out across Isabelle's cheeks.

“Ahem, girls, your shots are on the coffee table and we're ready to go so if you're finished having your moment lets get this rebirth under-way.” Magnus griped from the hallway, an inherent air of impatience about him.

Clary and Isabelle exchanged a giggle though they downed their shots quickly and raced to the doorway both determined to stop the incessant tapping that Magnus's impatient foot provided.

Simon's body had been swaddled completely in soft looking baby blue blankets, presumably provided by Magnus and was being carried bridal style by Raphael, who cradled the boy effortlessly. It was a strange sight to see him standing there, it was almost as if he could be holding two feathers rather than the full weight of her deceased friend.

That was an ability that Simon would gain, she considered to herself as she passed through the portal with her group. He would be strong, fast and hard to kill. He would be graceful and he wouldn't even need his glasses any-more. He would in a sense be a different Simon, but she opted to look at the situation as if he were undergoing an evolution.

The group were silent on their arrival in the graveyard. It was still dark but she could see the outlines of some headstones, trees and a large wall that surrounded the parameter.

It didn't take them long to find a suitable patch to dig Simon's grave, as it happened there were far fewer graves in the cemetery than any of them had expected. Perhaps a sign to the dwindling of faith in the modern day and age.

It was quietly agreed that Magnus would provide them with shovels and he did so with gusto, they were brand new and still had the tags on them, which made Clary think they probably came from a large store.

She and Jace both applied strength, speed and stamina runes with their stele's and began digging alongside Raphael. It did not take them as long as Clary had expected to dig the grave, even though it was six foot deep and long, as well as two foot wide.

“What now?” Clary asked tiredly as they climbed out of the hole they had slaved over.

“We place him in the grave and bury him. He is a strong boy, he will dig his way out and breathe his first air as a fledgeling, though I must warn you he will be very hungry. You must let me feed him before you can try to speak with him.” Raphael replied, leaning on the shovel he had stuck into the ground.

“What if he doesn't manage to dig his way out?” Clary asked, afraid to hear the answer.

“It's better to think of the positive side of things, Clary. You should rest, your brother and I can cover him over. Sit and drink some water.” He moved to the bundle that was Simon and motioned Jace over, effectively ending the conversation. She assumed the outcome of him being trapped was not a pleasant one at all.

Moving away from the work in progress Clary found Isabelle sitting with her back against a nearby oak tree, she had been watching them – a fact that made Clary blush. She made her way over to the dark-eyed girl, who watched every step with a sly smile. Playing coy, Clary plopped herself next to Isabelle dramatically.

“I'm exhausted.” She groaned, allowing her head to roll onto the taller girls shoulder.

“And sweaty.” Isabelle replied wrinkling her nose.

Clary moved away, feigning hurt. “It's just evidence I've been working hard, sweating is sexy Izzy, c'mon.” She winked and bumped her arm against Isabelle's, who just rolled her eyes in response.

“I can think of several ways of making you sweaty that are far sexier and way more fun than this, not that now is the time for that. You are burying your friend after all.” Isabelle smirked, throwing her arm around Clary's shoulders.

Clary just wondered what the various scenarios were.

The watched together in comfortable silence after that as Jace and Raphael filled in Simon's grave. The mound of dirt next to the sizeable hole disappeared quickly and it wasn't long before the two were smoothing over the dirt and stepping back to admire their work.

Shortly after the group assembled again a few feet from the site and waited patiently for something to happen.

It took longer than she had ever imagined and every moment of silence, stillness that passed drew her closer to a state of manic insanity.

“Is something wrong?” Clary whispered, nearing her breaking point.

“Just wait, be patient. He needs time to awaken.” Raphael replied, looking determinedly at the grave as if willing the boy to rise.

It was a few minutes later that the ground began to tremble and each of the watching shadowhunters braced themselves, though Magnus and Raphael looked on with relief in each of their features.

The dirt atop Simon's grave vibrated and moved as the trembling intensified. Abruptly, the dirt began to convulse and ripples stretched out from the centre of the rectangle creating a small crater which soon gave way and revealed a dirt-caked hand that immediately began grasping wildly at the surrounding dirt hoping to find some kind of perch. His second hand emerged forcefully sending a chunk of dirt flying into the air, spraying showers of dirt in all directions as it flew. With his second-hand free Simon was able to begin dragging his body upward. Clumps of dirt fell and rolled away from the hole as he pulled his torso free, finding grip with his legs to launch himself from the grave with one final motion.

His clothes and hair were a mess and caked with mud, much like all of his exposed skin. He crouched a few feet from the grave in an almost feral looking stance and everyone but Raphael backed away slowly.

“Simon, you're awake now you must be hungry. I have a snack for you okay?” Raphael said gently, retrieving several pouches of blood from the pile blankets that had swaddled Simon's dead body. He approached Simon with caution and held out a blood bag to the boy, noting the crazed look in his eyes.

Simon launched forward and snatched the bag so quickly that Clary jumped letting out a small squeak. She covered her mouth and watched with grim amazement as his fangs tore into the bag and blood spilt down his chin, his eyes rolled back and he groaned. Clearly satisfied with the taste of the cold liquid he was consuming.

She tried not to feel sick as he took another and devoured it in a similar way. This was something she would have to get used to and it wouldn't help if he came to his senses to see her horrified at him. She steeled herself and composed her features, trying to look impassive over the current events.

It was only after his third bag that Simon finally seemed to be coming around, he gestured for another but Raphael merely shook his head. “I'm sorry Simon, but you could get sick if you drink too much too fast. Trust me, you've had enough for just now.” He said fondly, it appeared he hadn't packed any more blood and Clary wondered if it was just a common rule to prevent fledgeling vampires from dying immediately.

“What am I? What's happened to me?” Simon asked, his voice gravelly. He looked as if he might cry, but Clary knew he never would again, human crying went out the window for him when Camille sliced his throat.

“I will let your friend explain to you, but I am going to stay right here with you, or both of your sakes. Clary?” Raphael turned back and called to her.

She felt Isabelle's hand in her own and turned to see her worried face. She squeezed the offered hand and smiled. “I'll be back soon, don't worry.” Unable to help herself she leaned forward and planted a firm kiss on the dark-haired girls' lips in a final act of reassurance before she turned to face Simon.

She gulped and approached cautiously, a small smile on her face. It was such a relieving sight to see the sparkle back in Simon's eyes. She had tried not to look at them before, afraid of how lifeless they looked. But now he stood there, caked in dirt and still wearing the bloodied clothes he died in and she was innately glad that she made the choice she did.

“Clary. I've missed you so much.” He mumbled, offering her a small smile. She could see his fangs when he did and it almost made her giggle.

“Simon, my father had you taken and then he had Camille kill you in front of me and everyone else. I don't know much about what happened to you before you died but I do know that they had you drink vampire blood, probably more to subdue you than anything else… Anyway, the point is, you died in front of me and then Raphael gave me a choice, I could bring you back or cremate your body...” She trailed off, he had been watching her silently his eyes distant. His chest still rose and fell probably more out of habit than necessity but aside from that he was completely motionless as if frozen.

“I… I'm a vampire? That's not… This is a lot to take in.” Simon muttered, taking suddenly to pacing back and forth, his hands running haphazardly through his hair. “I'm a monster.” He mumbled, picking up speed until he began pacing a thick trench into the dirt.

“Simon are you okay?” Clary asked timidly, she hadn't seen him like this before. Simon was always calm and had the wonderful ability to rationalise absolutely anything. Though it seemed this was one thing he couldn't find a way to rationalise.

“No… No I'm not okay. I don't know anything about being a… A vampire. What am I supposed to do? What do I tell my family...” He continued pacing, becoming more frantic.

It was then that Raphael decided to step in, he placed his hand on Simon's arm stopping him completely in his tracks and turned him so that they were facing each other.

“Simon, I've offered to take you into my coven. I will personally teach you everything I know about being a vampire, not everything will come naturally and it may take some time for you to be completely stable emotionally. I know this is a lot to handle, but understand we are not monsters, we're just people with different skills and needs. Come with me to the Hotel Du Mort and I will answer all of your questions.” The short speech seemed enough to calm Simon and his wide doe eyes turned to Clary as if asking if it was a good idea.

“It's true, he gave his word that he'd take care of you and whenever you feel like you're ready I'll come to see you or you can come to see me somewhere, okay? I think Raphael is right though, you need to find out about who you are now before you can do anything else, it's really important. So call me whenever you want and just take care of yourself okay?” Clary had to hold back tears, her throat growing almost to tight to speak.

“I promise I'll call you every day, Fray. Hey, that rhymed! You take care of yourself too for me okay, goodbye...” He smiled sadly at her and she knew if he could be crying he would be. She felt touched to have a friend as amazing as Simon and she vowed to be there for him whenever he needed her.

“Goodbye… Nerd.” She poked her tongue out at him, one last reassuring joke before he followed Raphael over the wall and into the night.

“Ah, there he goes. He took it pretty well, all things considered, I'm sure he'll make a fine vampire. Don't worry about Raphael, I've known him for a while now and if he says he will take good care of Simon I know he will. Now you four need to get back to the institute, I'm sure Luke is waiting. Come on I shall escort you.” He smiled warmly at them and conjured a portal with all of his usual flare, before escorting them through into the sitting room were as Magnus had predicted, Luke sat waiting for them.

“I'm guessing by the amount of time you took that events took place, I don't want any details. It's late you guys get some rest, no missions tomorrow for the four of you but we will have some things to discuss.” He yawned and stood up, stretching as if he had been sitting there for a long while and as he left the room Clary followed him, giving Isabelle a quick smile before leaving.

“Is something the matter Clary?” Luke asked, his eyebrow raised and a friendly smile plastered on his face.

“I just wanted to say thank you, dad.” Clary said, hugging the broad man tightly. She could never repay him for his kindness and all the things he had done for her and her mother over the years, but she vowed to make him as proud as she could of her.

“No problem, kiddo.” He replied, his smiled broadening into a grin. He tousled her hair gently, chuckling at her feigned irritation. “Get some rest Clary, I know I'm going to.” He winked and strode off down the hall to his room leaving Clary to enter the sitting room once again.

It was empty.

She headed over to the kitchen, noticing that the door was slightly ajar and the light was on inside. Peeking inside she saw the group seated at the table with three pizza's and feeling her stomach grumble in anticipation she opened the door and sat in the empty seat next to Isabelle.

“Luke left us pizza, he really is an awesome guy. That one is just weird though, who puts pineapple on a pizza?” Jace questioned sceptically, eyeing the unopened box with contempt.

“That'd be me, Luke knows me too well. You can bet there's pepperoni on there too, maybe some jalapeños. Damn, I love pizza.” Clary snatched the box up as she spoke, her mouth watering in anticipation. Now that she knew Simon was going to be okay her hunger from all of the exerted energy pressed down on her like a ton of bricks and she couldn't wait to eat.

“That's my girl, you have good taste in toppings, would you share with me?” Isabelle eyed the box licking her lips.

“Sure let's go eat somewhere the pineapple haters can't get to.” She stuck her tongue out at Jace, smiling as the boy laughed and took another slice of another offered pizza.

She stood up, taking Isabelle's hand in her own. Isabelle's hand felt cold to her skin, though she chalked it up to residual pizza box heat.

“How did he manage to keep the pizza warm?” Clary questioned as she led Isabelle down the hall to her bedroom. She opened the door and strode inside, throwing the pizza down on the bed and heading to her clothes drawer to grab something more comfortable.

When she turned back around with some shorts and a tank top Isabelle had seated herself on the bed. She was blushing and looking solely at the wrinkle in the duvet covers that she played with.

Smiling at the dark-haired girl she left for the bathroom, opting to get changed behind the closed door to make Isabelle and herself feel more comfortable. When she exited the bathroom, finally finished peeling off her grim looking clothing and giving herself a quick scrub, she felt decidedly fresher.

“I found some clothes that might fit me mind if I change into them?” Isabelle asked, still blushing furiously.

“Of course, go ahead. I'm going to start on the pizza though, I'm starving.” Clary smiled widely at Isabelle before bounding happily over to the bed, missing the adoring look that Isabelle gave her as she made her way to the bathroom.

Clary was two slices into the pizza when Isabelle resurfaced, the blush on her face had darkened significantly and Clary could see why. Isabelle had a lot more mass in the chest department and the quirky cartoon shirt that she had chosen clung to her body incredibly tightly. The fabric underneath her breasts was loose and raised to expose a strip of Isabelle's stomach at least two inches wide. Clary's mouth fell open slightly and the slice of pizza she had been holding dropped in her hand. She swallowed hard, Isabelle was intensely beautiful and Clary found it somewhat intimidating.

Isabelle climbed onto the bed and propped herself up on one elbow, tucking her mostly expose leg in slightly. She took a slice of pizza and began eating, seemingly unaware of Clary's inability to remove her eyes from the dark-haired girl.

Clary watched as Isabelle closed her eyes while chewing every bite, savouring the flavours in her mouth. She noted the adorable smile that accompanied the finishing of a slice and the delight in the girls' eyes as she reached for another.

Clary decided Isabelle was incredibly cute when she ate.

Resuming eating her final two slices Clary pondered over how attached to the dark-eyed girl she had become. She had never really seen herself as having that kind of bond with someone. It was something that both scared and excited her and she couldn't wait to explore her blossoming relationship with Isabelle more.

As the final slice disappeared Clary tossed the empty box onto the floor and stretched out, her muscles aching. She wriggled under the covers and glanced at Isabelle, surveying the girl.

“Stay with me tonight? I'm tired and I'd really like to cuddle with you.” Clary asked quietly, looking up at Isabelle shyly.

The dark-eyed girl smiled in response, biting her lip for a moment before leaving the bed to saunter over to the light.

“Light's out, Fray.” She whispered into the dark, making her way slowly to the bed.

They found a comfortable position to lay in quickly after Isabelle slid under the covers. Clary lay with her left hand under her head, her legs folded upwards, with Isabelle nestled closely behind her. The dark-haired girl lay her arm over Clary's stomach and held her close, her forehead pressed against the back of Clary's neck. Finding comfort in each others presence, they fell asleep like that, blissfully unaware of the happenings of the world around them.

 

 


	14. Detainment

The late morning sun streamed through the small crack in Clary's curtains harshly and peeking cautiously through her sleep filled eyes Clary could tell there was no more time to sleep in the day. She cursed the sun silently, wishing it had decided to rise a few hours later. Sighing to herself she leaned back into the warm body behind her and began to gently stroke the wrist of the arm thrown over her.

“Good morning.” Isabelle murmured, nuzzling into the back of Clary's neck. Her voice was gravely and hoarse from sleep and Clary found it incredibly sexy.

“Mm, I wish it wasn't though… I haven't felt this comfortable or slept this well in so long.” She turned over to face Isabelle, suppressing a giggle at the wild brown hair that framed her companions face.

“I know what you mean, what time is it? I usually get about five hours consistently but I feel like I've slept like a Queen.” She grinned, flashing her pearly white teeth and began running her fingers through her long hair combing out some of the larger tangles. Clary watched in awe, Isabelle truly did have a talent for looking gorgeous in any situation. 

“Do you want to take a picture, Clary? It'll last longer.” Isabelle said with a wink before closing the gap between them to press their lips together in a chaste kiss. “I'm going to shower, then I really need to rehydrate. Meet me in the kitchen for breakfast in like half an hour okay?”

“All-right Izzy and by the way, I wouldn't say no to that picture.” She winked back at the dark-haired girl, who smiled in return, and watched her as she sauntered over to the door. She turned and blew a quick kiss at Clary before leaving giving the red-haired girl a reason to smile until they met again.

Stretching out as completely as she could Clary began her morning ritual. She climbed out of bed to search for some jeans, a shirt and underwear before heading through to the bathroom. She turned the shower on and adjusted the heat a little higher than usual before shrugging out of her clothes and stepping under the gentle spray. The heat stung her skin for a moment but she adjusted to the temperature quickly and went about her tasks. For a moment, while she was waiting with her hair out from under the spray while the conditioner worked it's magic, she wondered where Jace had gone to after they had left the Seelie court. How had he been able to find them, when as far as she knew no one left a message for him.

The thought ate away at the back of her mind as she rinsed her hair and dried herself, and persisted to bewilder her as she dressed and made her way to the kitchen.

“Good morning Clary, I heard you slept well.” Alec smiled as she took a seat at the table. Jace and Luke were no-where in sight but a massive stack of pancakes sat in the middle of the table.

“Did Izzy make these?” Clary asked sceptically, provoking a barking laugh from Alec.

“She hasn't come into the kitchen yet Clary, I made them I thought everyone would appreciate breakfast, haven't seen Jace yet though I wonder if I made too many...”

“Are there any chocolate chip ones? Also, where's Magnus? Normally the two of you aren't too far apart.” Clary grabbed a plate from the stack and placed it in front of her, thanking Alec as he handed her a bundle of chocolate chip pancakes. She tore the top pancake in half and began eating it, pleasantly surprised by the texture and flavour. “These are really good.” She noted around a mouthful of pancake eliciting another hearty laugh from Alec.

“Not all of our family's cooking is lethal. Magnus received a call early this morning, warlock business, he'll be back soon I'm sure.”

“Alec Lightwood my cooking is not lethal if anything it's more experimental.” Isabelle defended, sauntering into the room and promptly grabbing her own stack of pancakes. “I will say though, your pancakes are amazing.” 

“You haven't seen Jace though… I was wondering Alec, did you tell Jace where Simon was being held?” Clary probed, finishing her first pancake before getting up to pour a coffee from the percolator.

“No I… I had thought that you might have told him, or Isabelle?” Alec looked toward Izzy to find her shaking her head, he frowned.

“I didn't tell him, he wanted space and I assumed I was one of the last people he wanted to talk to at the time.” Isabelle toyed with her wrist looking ashamed.

“Well, he could have tracked you through your bond though right?” Clary asked she was beginning to feel unsure about the situation.

“No I would have known, it likely would've caused us both a lot of pain. That doesn't mean that Magnus or Luke didn't get a message to him, someone. We should wait and rule out all the possibilities before we do anything.” 

“Before we do anything about what?” Jace stumbled into the room, the usual bags under his eyes had darkened and grown, he looked like he hadn't slept. His blonde hair sat tousled atop his head and his golden eyes studied Alec curiously as he ran his hand through his hair to straighten it. The “pyjama's” that normally hung close to his body looked looser as well and Clary wondered to herself if he had lost weight.

“We were just discussing the chances of you being gay as well.” Alec replied smoothly, jabbing at Jace's ribs with his elbow as the boy sat next to him and proceeded to take half of the offered pancakes.

“Let me know what you find out then and Alec? I just wanted to let you know I always knew your place was in the kitchen.” Jace stuck his tongue out and laughed at the boy before digging into his breakfast.

“Ah, I knew there was a reason you couldn't find a girlfriend, too old-fashioned.” Alec fired back, eyeing him up as if he were actually offended.

“Alas, you wound me, brother.” The blonde haired boy smiled, devouring his pancakes with intensity. Clary suspected he needed the energy.

“Oh my god, Alec made pancakes, Luke! Luke come to get food!” Magnus burst into the room, skipping getting a plate in favour of holding his pancakes close. Luke followed after him, looking utterly exhausted and Clary wondered what was going on. The present shadowhunters each exchanged looks before turning their inquisitively raised eyebrows to the new arrivals.

“You really made these Alec? Thanks, we've been out since early I haven't had a chance to eat yet.” Luke grabbed the plate, claiming the last ten or so pancakes and both Clary and Isabelle watched sadly as they were devoured. 

“I got a call this morning about a warlock that was murdered, the body drained of blood and one of Luke's pack has gone missing. On Raphael's side, he has done a body count and is issuing a lock-down. I've moved most of the warlocks to a warded facility but I'm certain that sick bastard already got what he wanted from us… By now we are running on the assumption that Valentine is three-quarters of the way through his plan, because of this Luke and I are going to have to report to the clave promptly and push for vampire protection, aside from that I don't really know what we can do. We don't know how the clave is going to react… But the situation isn't looking good.” Magnus grabbed himself a coffee and finished his breakfast quickly, noticing Luke waiting by the door already finished with his meal.

“It's urgent that we notify them as soon as possible, we'll let you know what's happening as soon as we can. Hang tight guys.” Luke gave them a sad smile before he and Magnus departed. Clary felt for him, he looked like he really needed some rest but there didn't appear to be any for him in his near future.

“So what are we doing today then? Training?” Isabelle asked, stealing some of Clary's coffee. She had changed into a form-fitting purple low-cut top and tight black jeans that clung to the muscles of her legs displaying them proudly. Clary found it hard not to gaze at the girl, it was as if she had been sculpted by a hand that had practised a thousand years. She was truly beautiful.

She looked up and noticed Isabelle watching her, a blush made its way to Clary's cheeks, she had been caught red-handed. Isabelle's brown eyes looked curiously at her and Clary looked away, suddenly feeling shy.

“Actually I need to come clean with you guys about something, I don't think I have very long before the Inquisitor comes and gets me and I really don't want you all taking the situation wrong.” Jace looked about nervously, he had begun sweating lightly and the three looked at him with furrowed brows wondering what he could be eluding to.

“Go on?” Alec looked at him with immense scrutiny, leading Clary to wonder what exactly he was feeling through their parabatai connection at that moment.

“When I left you guys after we saw the Seelie Queen, I went to see Valentine.” He paused, his eyes scanning their faces trying to read their emotions, they waited patiently for him to finish, none of them wanting to draw any conclusions without the full story. “I still have a shard of the portal, Alec you know, I looked through it a few nights ago after the attack on the Silent City and I could see where he was like he wanted me to know. I felt so emotional after what happened at the Seelie Court that I wanted to question him so I went and acquired a flying motorcycle and went to see him. It was horrifying though, what he told me and what I saw. He showed me the sword but it wasn't right, it had a dark aura as if he had already performed part of the ritual. He also showed me that it can call demons, that's what he plans to use it for as far as I can tell. He told me what he had planned for the night, where to find you and he let me leave.”

“Jace… I'm sorry...” Clary sighed, he was right he wouldn't have long. With Luke and Magnus already speaking with the Inquisitor, they would likely detain him and link him to the events quickly.

“No, I'm sorry. To both of you, Clary, Isabelle. I hardly had emotions before you got here Clary and I guess that means I'm not too good at controlling them yet. I got overwhelmed and thought I could find the answers I wanted with the maniac who raised me but I know now that I was wrong. There's no real reason why I should ever get between you two, I've seen the way you look at each-other and besides how could I actually pass up a chance for my two favourite women in the world to be happy? I can't.” He smiled sadly at them, regret flashing in his golden eyes.

Clary felt the tears welling up and overflowing but she disregarded them and flew around the table to hug Jace tightly, closely followed by Isabelle the entire time. It took them a little while but it was finally beginning to look like they might overcome everything, a thought that made Clary feel intensely happy.

“I'm proud of you Jace, that took balls man. I promise we'll do whatever we can to get you out of whatever happens.” Alec clapped his shoulder and gave him a one-armed hug, looking as if he too were tearing up.

The four moved to the lounge to watch the news, each of them feeling freshly tired after the overwhelming situation they found themselves in. Though they were essentially doing nothing, each of them was oppressed by the knowledge of what was coming for Jace. There was an undeniable tension in the room as they lounged, Clary with her head on Isabelle's shoulder. Alec, poised anxiously in the armchair in the corner of the room, cradling a scotch. Jace, ironically, seemed the least concerned as he lay on the large couch, his hand cradling the back of his head and his eyes closed as he hummed an unfamiliar tune.

Alec eyed him with disdain, taking a large swig of scotch, the heel of his right foot slapping against the carpet as if its sole purpose was to drill through the ground.

“Alec for the love of god finish that drink and pour yourself another one, you clearly need it. If you're not careful you'll find yourself in another country the way your foot is going.” Jace groused, finally sitting up to glare at the blue-eyed boy.

“It's not my fault, I'm anxious.” Alec replied shortly, though he complied with Jace's request and downed the rest of his scotch before pouring out a larger helping than before.

“Please promise me you won't become an alcoholic.” Clary said offhandedly, though she did genuinely worry about the boy. She sighed at the funny look he gave her and opted instead to join him in having a glass. She made her way over to the table he sat next to, relieving a drinking glass from the cabinet to the side before pouring herself some of the liquid. “See you guys are a bad influence, I never used to drink this much.” She joked making her way back over to Isabelle. 

She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, sighing again she swallowed a large mouthful of the dark liquid before pressing the glass into Isabelle's waiting hand. 

“When you see the kind of things we see you kind of have to drink that much.” Jace joked back, sharing a laugh with the group.

Clary retrieved her phone from her pocket, pressing the button and unlocking it as if it were second nature. Her eyebrows shot up when she realised who the text was from.

'Hey it's Simon, just wanted to let you know I'm doing really good with my training and can't wait to see you xxx'

“Nice to know he's doing well, it's not even been a full day yet but I'm guessing he's eager to learn.” Isabelle commented, resting her chin on Clary's shoulder, her breath ghosting over the red-haired girl's neck raising all the hairs on Clary's neck and arms.

“I wonder what's taking them...” Alec trailed off, he seemed more relaxed after his second glass but still seemed perturbed by something.

“It won't be long now though, Luke and Magnus will have finished explaining by now.” Isabelle replied, her arms snaking around Clary's waist, effectively distracting the girl. Her idle fingers began to subtly stroke Clary's stomach and she wriggled, feeling a familiar sensation growing.

“Maybe I should just go up there and see them.” Jace offered, standing abruptly and turning to face the door. Clary shot a look at Alec, who looked as if he were searching for the words to say to his parabatai.

It was then that the door opened abruptly. She felt Isabelle fire away from her, presumably looking guilty. She locked eyes with the Inquisitor, who was followed by Maryse, Luke and Magnus all of which had looked grim and helpless.

“Jonathan Morgenstern I am hereby detaining you by authority of the clave. Please relinquish your stele and come quietly to avoid any unnecessary violence.” Her face was entirely smug, she had been waiting for a reason to detain him and move him to Idris for a while and she clearly assumed this was her opportunity. 

Jace fished his stele out of his pocket and held it out to her, flinching when she snatched it nastily from his hand. He held out his wrists and they were bound with runes that created thick ropes of fire that held his wrists an inch apart, palms facing each other. He grimaced, small beads of sweat collecting on his forehead as he suppressed the pain the binding caused.

Clary looked away, if this was how they treated their own kind with this little to go on, then the prospects of a downworlder being detained must be entirely brutal. Clary wondered how long the clave could go on convincing themselves that all out brutality was the way, in the future she and her new family would have to work hard to have their voice heard, a reconstruction of the Clave was entirely necessary just not in the way that Valentine planned. 

“I will be holding Jace here for two days before we go to Idris for a real trial.” Inquisitor Herendale explained with triumph. “After that, he will be justly punished.” She led him from the room promptly after, Maryse following close behind presumably to try and find out where and how they would be keeping him detained. Clary shuddered.

“It's out of our hands now...” Luke sighed, defeated, throwing himself into the armchair beside Alec's, apparently he too needed a drink.

Alec leaned forward, looking at everyone in the room seriously. “Mom will find out where they're keeping him. For now, we have something to explain to Magnus and Luke.” He surveyed Clary, giving her an opportunity to object, she nodded at him. “Jace told us everything that happened and if what he told us is true he knows how to find Valentine.”

“You've got to be kidding me.” Luke groaned, slapping his hand to his face.

“I'm not, let me explain.”


	15. Sleepless

Clary found herself at her desk once again, drawing aimlessly. She had spent time with Alec, Luke, Magnus and Isabelle but they had all parted ways once the sun disappeared and darkness fell. Magnus and Alec had eloped together, likely to have some kind of work-date. Luke and Isabelle had both excused themselves to their rooms as well and Clary had been left to watch reruns she'd seen dozens of times before. She had called it a night around one AM and made her way to her bed, which posed its own set of problems for her. She tossed and turned for half an hour before she gave up, the bed was simply too cold and empty. She'd much rather share it with Isabelle.

Thus she sat once again drawing Isabelle, a subject she found both incredibly easy and difficult to capture at the same time. The night was incredibly warm, probably adding to her inability to sleep and the only solace she found was in the cool wooden legs of the chair she sat on pressed against her ankles and the cool can of soda that she had been sipping for an indeterminable amount of time.

She ran her hand through her hair after placing down her thick tipped artists' pencil. She was finally happy with the sketched outline and began picking coloured soft pastels of varying warm colours to add some vibrancy. Carefully, Clary began adding colours one at a time, building up a complex blend that matched Isabelle's skin tone as closely as she could, she added blush to the girls' cheeks and gave her lips colour, careful not to go over any of the pencilled lines.

The drawing itself made Clary smile because she had drawn Isabelle smiling. It filled her with the same warm feeling she had during their many encounters and in an attempt to further add to the overall tone of the picture Clary began adding in oranges, reds and yellows of various shades, blending them together to create the effect of the setting sun. Finally, she added the last touch of colour to Isabelle's eyes and hair, then satisfied with her progress she began to add definition with charcoal.

It felt therapeutic, drawing when she couldn't sleep and often she found that after working on a drawing she'd be able to just fall into bed and sleep straight away. She didn't feel that way this time, however, her finished work smiled up at her from the desk and she smiled back despite how mentally exhausted she felt. 

Jace was likely being confined to minimal space and no doubt they had left his hands bound. She wondered if they would even offer him food or water, but the little faith that she might have had in the Clave was failing at this point and she couldn't say for sure whether she believed they would even try to keep him alive.

The thought perturbed her. Nephilim were supposed to hunt demons, creatures who sucked the goodness and life from the worlds they inhabited. Vampires, werewolves, warlocks and Seelie's weren't really like that at all. Despite the way the Clave profiled them, most of them acted in aggression only to protect themselves or when provoked and all of them still had their own human qualities and emotions. They each had as much right as Nephilim to inhabit the world, but the Clave couldn't see it that way. Why they chose to look down on the people that could be great allies in their fight on demons Clary couldn't understand, but someone needed to speak up soon.

Clary's thought process was interrupted by a hesitant knocking on the door and with her brow furrowed Clary left the comfort of her chair and padded quietly over to her door.

It was still dark, Clary had decided only to put the lamp at her desk on and the lights in the hallway were out but Clary could still see the girl standing in her doorway as if it were daylight. She was honestly surprised to see Isabelle and they stared at each other for a moment, silently.

“I have to be honest with you Clary, I couldn't sleep and I think it's because I know what its like to sleep next to you now.” Her left arm sat across her stomach, her hand cradling her right elbow. She bit her lip worriedly, surveying Clary with a new level of shyness.

“I couldn't sleep either, my bed was just so empty. Do you want to come in?” Clary stepped to the side, her left hand on the door. She smiled and ran her free hand through her hair, tucking it away behind her shoulder.

Isabelle crept into her room, wincing when Clary closed the door as she normally would.

“Don't you know what time it is?” Isabelle whispered in alarm, her eyes wide. It was strangely cute and Clary couldn't help grinning stupidly at the girl.

“It's fine Alec isn't here and Luke is a really heavy sleeper and… we both know Jace isn't here either.” Clary felt a lot more exhausted after stating the fact out loud, it was as if her finally saying the words out loud finalised the truth in them. 

Clary made her way to the bed and plopped down onto it, kicking the purple covers back with her feet and pulling them up to her shoulder before burying her face in the puffy white pillow nearest her. She felt awful and she understood why Isabelle couldn't sleep either, if the events that happened at the Seelie Court had never occurred, Jace might never have gone to question Valentine.

Hearing the rustling of paper Clary sat bolt upright to find Isabelle surveying the piece she had just been working on. Clary cringed, she hoped Isabelle didn't find it strange that Clary had been drawing her. Isabelle's face was blank as she analysed every part of the drawing with intense scrutiny and with each moment that passed Clary worried more what the girl would say.

“I can't believe how realistic this is, it's like looking in the mirror only my face doesn't change.” She giggled and placed the picture back down on the desk before turning to face Clary, her eyes sparkling. “I'm surprised you can remember the details so well without a picture, or is there something I should know about?” She turned the lamp on the desk off and stumbled over to the desk, finding it difficult to navigate in the low lighting. 

“Shit, kind of wish I used a Nyx rune first.” Isabelle cursed before crashing down on top of Clary, knocking the air from her lungs.

“At least you found the bed, I can't believe you found it so difficult it's already getting light.” Clary choked, gasping to regain the air that vacated her lungs. It took her a moment to regain her composure and she flopped onto her back, attempting to find a better position to breathe in.

“I'm sorry Clary I didn't hurt you did I?” Isabelle whispered, sounding apologetic. She shuffled under the covers and crept closer to Clary, placing a timid hand on the red-haired girls hip.

“Mhm, I'm fine.” Clary replied wriggling closer and burying her face in Isabelle's neck for a moment.

“Should I read into that?” Isabelle asked seriously, leaning back so that her brown eyes could gaze into Clary's green ones.

“Well… Izzy, do you think about if we hadn't been put in that situation at the Seelie Court? We could have talked things through with Jace, maybe he never would have gone to Valentine.” Clary sighed, propping her head up on her hand as her neck grew tired.

“No. Jace going to see Valentine was inevitable, think about it Clary, he would have found another reason. He's lost right now and trying to find out who he really is, he's Jace he'll go to any lengths to stabilise his identity because he knows if he doesn't his work might suffer. Jace is very one track minded, most of what he thinks about is the next hunt and doing more work, adding regular emotions into that is gonna be a lot for him to handle and he'll likely make a few mistakes before he finds the right track again.”

Clary mulled over Isabelle's sage advice for a moment, she was probably right, after all, she had known Jace for a lot longer than Clary and could better predict what he might be thinking.

“I get it. I want to go and see Simon tomorrow, he texted me again saying he's getting the hang of things pretty well and he wants to be more involved, Raphael too. I was thinking they could go with us, once we get Jace out. Also, I've been wondering to myself about these strange powers I seem to have, I've created a rune that healed the worst injury I've seen and I can place and retrieve objects from a picture or paper hiding place. Surely Jace has some kind of gift too, right?” Clary reached out in front of her in search of Isabelle's hand, when she found it she laced her fingers through Isabelle's. It was both amazing and frustrating sharing a bed with Isabelle, Clary found it harder and harder to ignore her attraction to the dark-haired beauty. She knew it stemmed largely from her pent-up sexual emotions, at her age, most people were comfortable engaging in sexual acts frequently, however, Clary had never had any interest in sex before but Isabelle had an interesting effect on her that she couldn't quite explain.

“You're right, you know I've seen Jace drop down thirteen stories and land normally in the heat of battle, most of us would avoid doing that at all costs runes or no runes. Maybe Jace's abilities are more physical than yours.” Isabelle grew closer to Clary as she spoke, her hand breaking free from Clary's to rest on the girls' side where she began drawing aimless patterns that Clary couldn't picture properly in her mind.

“Mhm, that makes sense...” Clary let her eyes fall closed, her head tilting back slightly. She was vaguely aware of Isabelle coming closer to her but made no attempt to move, welcoming the soft warm lips that pressed firmly against her own. Their lips moved in tandem, their tongues stretching out to meet, a battle for dominance ensuing. Clary moaned into the kiss, unconsciously giving in to the assault of the dark-haired girl. She lay backwards, Isabelle straddling her hips as her tongue invaded Clary's mouth.

Clary whined as they parted, Isabelle looking down at her with questioning eyes, her hands placed either side of the red-haired girls' shoulders. Clary blushed, feeling incredibly vulnerable. She couldn't control how she reacted to Isabelle, a fact that left her somewhat terrified, but she also trusted the girl implicitly and was massively attracted to the girl.

“How do you feel about this?” Isabelle breathed, her eyes closed in concentration. Clary wondered if she felt the same way.

“I'm really attracted to you and I trust you, Izzy, I'm just embarrassed because its hard to control how I react.” Her blush deepened at the admittance, but she wanted to be completely honest with Isabelle.

“That's because making love is about instinct and passion babe, your head doesn't really rule your body does if you know what I mean.” Isabelle giggled “Like in the heat of the fight you know? You don't think, you just do.”

“That makes sense.” Clary laughed nervously, reaching up to wrap her arms around Isabelle's neck and pull the dark haired girl back down over her. Seeing the quizzical look again Clary rolled her eyes and pressed her lips against Isabelle's, her hands travelling up Isabelle's thighs before stopping to play with the hem of her shirt. Isabelle wiggled her hips in response, creating friction between them that only served to fuel Clary's confidence. She allowed her fingers to slide beneath the thin fabric of Isabelle's shirt, tentatively brushing against the soft warm skin of the dark-haired girls' stomach. Her fingers slid across the soft surface easily, spreading out across Isabelle's ribs until Clary's whole hand made contact. She let her hand glide around to Isabelle's back, feeling all of the muscles and bumps along the edge of the girls' spine as her hand travelled upwards. She enjoyed how the girl pressed into her touch, her eyes closed and lips parted and taking advantage of the vulnerability of the girl, Clary pressed her hand against the girls back and firmly pulled her close.

Satisfied with the surprised yelp that Isabelle emitted, Clary pressed her lips to the dark-haired girls' neck below her jawline, pressing her fingertips in and dragging them slowly down the girls back as she gently nipped and kissed a line to her pronounced collarbone. Isabelle moaned quietly, her breathing picking up and Clary smiled against her neck before pulling away.

“Are you sure you're okay with this, Izzy?” Clary asked with a smirk which grew into a grin as her companions face fell into a pout.

“Okay okay, I see how it is.” Isabelle sighed dramatically, placing the back of her hand to her forehead and clutching her heart. Clary laughed, poking at the girls' sides until she burst into laughter. She fell onto her back, looking at the ceiling and Clary rolled onto her side to look at the girl. “It is around five AM at this point and as much as I would love to ravish your beautiful body for teasing me I think we should get some rest.” Her head fell to the side and she looked at Clary, a small smile on her face.

“Well if that's true then I think it's only fair if you cuddle with me.” Clary said, rolling over onto her other side and backing up closer to the dark-eyed girl, leaving no room for arguments – not that there would be any. 

“It would be my pleasure.” Isabelle responded, throwing her arm over Clary and situating herself comfortably behind her girlfriend, throwing her arm over the girls stomach and half tucking her fingers under the girls' other side.

“Goodnight Izzy.” Clary mumbled sleepily, her eyes feeling heavy.

“Goodnight.”


	16. Escape

Clary was immensely disappointed the next morning to find the bed empty and Isabelle nowhere in sight but she assumed that her partner had a good reason to be gone. 

When she decided to check her phone she was amazed to find out that it was actually late in the day and she had already missed two meals, perhaps that was why Isabelle had left. She had a few texts from Simon making sure she still wanted to come and visit him later and she responded with haste, reassuring him that they would all hopefully be arriving at midnight.

With a groan she hefted herself out of bed, hastily throwing the royal purple covers back up to the pillows before grabbing some clothes to take a shower. She felt anxious and the shower didn't help, much to Clary's dismay, so she opted to spend far less time under the hot spraying water than she usually would.

Hurrying back into her bedroom, Clary threw her used clothes into the dirty washing and once again raided her drawers for fresh clothing, packing an overnight bag just in case. 

She took one last longing look at her bed, tiredness still hanging over her like a dark cloud before exiting her room – making sure to close the door behind her before making her way to the kitchen.

Inside she found Luke, sitting at the large wooden table with a coffee and a bagel in front of him, an open newspaper to the side so he could consume his food and drink while reading. Clary smiled, it was nice to find him doing something ordinary for once. Since everything with Valentine started she had only really seen him as Luke the pack leader, or Luke the ex-shadowhunter diplomat. Seeing him as just Luke was like a breath of fresh air.

“Good morning Clary, coffee's still hot if you want some.” He remarked, not looking up from the article he was reading, clearly immersed in whatever it had to say.

Still smiling Clary made her way over to the percolator, grabbing a grey porcelain cup from the overhanging cabinet before pouring herself some of the caffeine-laced liquid. She added her usual amount of sugar after retrieving a small silver spoon from the cutlery drawer below and stirred wildly before moving it over to the table and sitting down. The liquid inside still whirled around, a few bubbles on top swirling madly as the liquid slowly settled. Clary took a moment to rub her eyes, still feeling immensely tired and secretly hoping the coffee provided some kind of relief.

“Isabelle asked me to talk to you Clary, but I want to make sure you're awake first because it's a lot to comprehend okay?” Luke said, his mouth tightening into a strained line which made him look at least fifteen years older than he had only moments before.

Clary frowned and raised an eyebrow in response, sipping at the coffee she had made cautiously in an attempt to avoid burning her taste-buds. The strong flavour surprised her and gave her a jolt that she desperately needed.

“Isabelle and Alec were called away by Maryse at midday, about an hour ago Isabelle checked in to see if you were awake and told me what was going on.” He made a face, emphasising his discontent over whatever information Isabelle had given him and Clary's anxiety grew.

“What did she say what's happening?” Clary asked, clutching the hot cup tightly in her hands, disregarding her burning palms.

“She told me the Inquisitor Herondale has plans to reach out to Valentine. Her son, Stephen, was a close follower of Valentine and was unfortunately lost, Imogen has been broken up about it ever since. She hates Valentine and will do anything to enact justice on him for what he has done. She plans to try and trade Jace for the soul sword and presumably kill one or both of them once she has it.” Luke looked her dead in the eye and she could see that he was just as tired as she was. She wondered if that was why he too had joined Valentine all those years ago, because of what he saw he grew tired and wanted to make changes. She hoped that one day she could help start those changes with Luke by her side, it might be later in his life but she vowed to make sure he saw a better Clave and a better life for everyone.

“We all know he won't go for that, she must be crazy to think it'll work...” Clary slumped back into her chair, taking a long drink of coffee before rubbing her hands together in an attempt to soothe her still stinging palms. 

“I know that you know that, Isabelle and everyone else has tried to tell her but she believes wholeheartedly that he would trade something of that value for his only son because she would have. She would trade anything to have Steven back, she doesn't understand that Valentine doesn't feel emotions in the same way that we do. He twists them, to him people are disposable even if they are supposed to be close to him, if they are not satisfying his needs any longer he doesn't care. Simple as that.” Luke looked down, probably remembering the kindjal being thrust into his hands as Valentine told him to end his life. Clary bristled. 

“When is this supposed to be taking place?” Clary questioned, her leg bouncing as her anxiety continued to grow.

“It could happen any minute now, Isabelle didn't say but she eluded to it being in the process of starting when she came to see me, for all I know it could have already happened.” He replied sadly, finishing off the last few bites of his bagel and slumping back into his chair, mirroring Clary.

“What does this mean for Jace and our plan?” Clary asked quietly, thoughts whirling around in her head so fast she could barely process them.

“It means if Valentine surprises us all and accepts we're screwed, if not we bust him out. I'll distract the guards posted outside at quarter past eleven then you, Isabelle and Alec will sneak in grab him and sneak out of the institute. If I'm right the deal not working out will likely make Imogen want to leave with Jace sooner rather than later. Alec, Maryse and Robert might be able to talk her into leaving it until morning but that means we'll need to move him out as quick as we can. You guys will get out of there and head to Magnus's apartment while I pick up Simon and Raphael then we'll meet up. You get all that?” Luke asked seriously, his eyes piercing into hers like warm daggers. 

“Yes, sir! I guess we just wait now then?” Clary sauntered over to the refrigerator in search of something to snack on. It was a lot barer inside than she expected, but she encountered a slice of steak pie that she graciously removed and placed in the microwave to heat up. She grabbed a fork from the cutlery drawer as she waited, proceeding to tap it idly on the counter after listening to the hum of the working machine for a few long moments.

“That was some good steak pie, I haven't been out to stock up in a few days I'm sorry. We'll be living out of Magnus's house for a night or two but I'll make sure to grab some food before we come back. Providing nothing bad happens before then that is.” Luke said, eyeing the pie as he made his way over to pour another cup of coffee. 

Clary grinned and with a ding, the microwave announced that it was finished, Clary opened the door and poked the food with her fork a bit before putting the microwave back on for another minute. Unsurprisingly the second go in the microwave passed by considerably faster and it wasn't long before Clary was burning her fingertips transporting her meal to the table. Thankfully Luke swung the microwave door shut for her and passed her a knife before sitting down opposite her with his fresh coffee.

“Thanks, Luke, a knife would probably help.” She laughed, pulling the pastry apart into bite-sized squares as best she could. She paired a square with a chunk of steak and scooped up some of the gravy, enjoying the combination of flavours. Despite the overwhelming heat of the plate, the food was at an enjoyable temperature and she made her way through the portion.

When she finished she realised Luke had gone back to reading the article he had been looking at before, his expression seemed sad and his shoulders were slack. Clary wondered if the man needed a break, a nice vacation to his farm-house for a week or two could do him wonders.

“What are you reading?” Clary asked, rinsing off her plate at the small sink before transferring the plate and cutlery to the dishwasher.

“It's an article about a police officer who was brutally mutilated by a werewolf that had taken that drug Valentine put out. They've written that he was attacked and disfigured by wild animals and I guess that's true but...” He trailed off looking behind him in the direction of the lounge door. “Someone's coming.”

Clary moved over to the open doorway between the two rooms and looked towards the entrance of the lounge. She couldn't hear or see anything, however, Luke had far more sensitive hearing than she did and it was safe to assume someone would be arriving at the room shortly.

“Do you want to go through to the lounge and sit down, Luke?” Clary asked, making her way over to the two-seat sofa and placing herself on the comfy cushion.

“I'll stay here, I'll hear everything anyway.” He laughed and Clary heard the rustling of paper, indicating that Luke had moved onto the next page of his newspaper.

It wasn't long afterwards that the door handle turned and the door swung open soundlessly, Isabelle stepping into the room with a look of utter disdain. Her eyes scanned the room, quickly finding Clary and she made a bee-line for the seat next to the red-headed girl, thrusting herself into the open space with disregard for her own safety.

“Wow, are you okay Isabelle?” Clary asked, eyeing Isabelle's slumped backwards posture with worry. Luke appeared in the doorway, a frown accompanying his appearance. He made his way over to them and plopped down onto the adjacent couch.

“What happened?” He asked softly, a fatherly look overcoming his worried features. He could see how stressed and tired she was, a shadow of the bustling happy Isabelle that he had seen that morning.

“Inquisitor Herendale made contact with Valentine, he was amused that she decided to contact him and taunted her for almost fifteen minutes before allowing her to voice what she wanted. All we could do was watch from the other side of the library...” She trailed off, looking as if she might vomit at any moment.

“What happened next, Isabelle?” Luke probed gently.

“When she was allowed to speak she gave Valentine a choice, trade Jace for Maellartach or she would kill Valentine's only son. Valentine just laughed though, he told her that he pitied her for still being held back by such simple emotions and when she asked him if he would really doom his only son… He said he would but that Jace isn't even his son.” Isabelle sighed, her hand instinctively seeking out Clary's to wind their fingers together. Clary shuffled closer and rested her head on Isabelle's slack shoulder, tracing a line backwards and forwards on the back of Isabelle's thumb.

“Did Jace believe him? I doubt that he's lying this time, he would probably take pleasure in throwing Jace further off course at this point and revealing something like that would be perfect...” Luke rubbed the back of his neck, his expression unreadable.

“He did believe it, Inquisitor Herendale had Jace locked up again, she's having a debate with mom, dad and Alec right now on what to do with him but she's an absolute mess.” Isabelle turned towards Clary, her nose pressed against the shorter girls hairline where she nuzzled affectionately.

Clary was finding the news hard to process, herself. 

It all fit together too well and Clary was beginning to wonder if they should have just disregarded everything Valentine said from the beginning, he had proven himself to be a liar so why did they believe him in the first place?

These events could cause all new implications for Jace, he had finally been coming along so far in dealing with his emotions and everything that had happened to him in his life, this happening now would just set him back completely.

"I can't believe he's alone right now... He's so lost right now and Valentine just has a way of making everything worse." Clary fell back, her head thumping gently against the soft back of the chair, she frowned and rubbed her temples, feeling the beginnings of a mean headache.

"Valentine had a picture of what he wanted Clary, he's very driven and one track minded when it comes to things like that. He wanted you all, Jocelyn included, to be with him - forcefully or not - when he took over the Clave and now he won't ever be able to have that. In a way, this is him scrapping everything to start over." Luke grimaced and placed his head in his hands. The more destructive and violent Valentine became the more Luke seemed to tire, Clary wondered if he still felt any effects of their parabatai bond, or if it erased itself completely. Either way, it was evident that Luke still had some semblance of feelings for her biological father and watching him spiral farther and farther into darkness was tearing Luke apart.

"We have to stop Valentine if he continues he'll only take and ruin more lives." Isabelle stated, her snake whip bristling on her wrist in anger. Clary reached out to take Isabelle's hand, feeling her forearm press to the agitated cool metal, it ceased its movements immediately seemingly calmed by Clary's touch.

Luke chuckled at the girls, a small smile making its presence known as he reached for the small black tv remote and pressed the red button to turn it on. The picture spread outwards from the middle as if the tv was lagging slightly as it started but a second later they were greeted with the familiar face of a new local news broadcaster.

"In more recent events, sever large blazes have been reported across New York each ranging in severity but all seemingly set by some kind of terrorist group. Many men, women and children are trapped in churches, apartments and other public areas that are ablaze. Local firefighters and NYPD have been dispatched to the scenes but only time will tell how this tragedy will play out. Further updates to come." 

"Is it a mundane terrorist group or is it Valentine though, it's hard to say at this point." Luke muttered in disgust, moving to change the channel.

"It won't be Valentine, this is either a lucky coincidence for him or he hired someone else to do this so he can have some peace. He knows that Inquisitor Herendale is on to him and he also knows she's unstable and will go for anything at this point. It could all be a ruse." Isabelle replied offhandedly, eyeing the screen with a sad expression. While it was true that Valentine was a nephilim, sworn to protect mundanes he had shown he wasn't opposed to creating collateral damage to aid his cause, it was entirely possible at this point that he had paid someone to do this.

"You're right, still I'll get the pack onto this right away, remember the plan Clary don't forget it okay?" He gave her a stern look, waiting for her nod in response before heading off to deal with the matter at hand. If a creature had been sent to set each of those fires, his pack could find out.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Clary hoisted her overnight bag onto her shoulders quickly, making sure her stele and seraph blades were secure in her belt before she padded out of her room and down the hallway. It was incredibly dark in the institute and she and her friends were running late, they needed to move quickly.

"Ouch!" Alec whined in surprise, his foot sliding forcefully out from beneath Clary's heel.

"I'm sorry Alec it's dark I can't see." She apologised, fumbling to find her stele in the dark. Luckily for her, Isabelle had already retrieved hers and was beginning to trace the Nyx rune on her arm. She could tell it was Isabelle because of the soft slender fingers that cupped her arm and once the rune began to take effect she could see the dark-haired girl pocketing her stele with a smirk.

"Let's go, I'll lead the way. I managed to convince the Inquisitor to let me see him earlier, gave him some food and water." Alec said quietly, taking the lead at the head of their small party as they soundlessly made their way through the hallways.

They snuck past a few scattered rooms that had fellow nephilim inside, most of whom were relaxing off-duty and weren't likely to bother them. Clary assumed the lack of shadowhunter presence was due to the fires but she couldn't say for certain, either way, she was glad.

Jace's room was on the opposite side of the Institute on one of the highest floors, it was barred from the outside but there were no guards present. The silence in the corridor was definite and Clary briefly considered finding a pin to drop.

Alec and Isabelle each grabbed one side of the large rectangle wooden wedge that they had placed in iron holsters, pulling it free with some effort. They placed it to the side, resting against the wall and swung the door open.

"Who is it. Alec? Alec is that you?" Jace asked frantically, he was being confined by three dangerous looking walls each of which stretched up around thirty foot into the air, falling only a few feet short of the rafters above. The room the Inquisitor had decided to keep Jace in was part of a larger tower attached to the institute, it provided plenty of space for her methods. 

Jace had been tightly blindfolded with a filthy looking red rag, his blonde hair was damp and stuck to the skin of his forehead. Clary could see that he had bruises forming around his eyes and on his cheekbones and his hands were now bound behind him, tighter than they had been originally. Tears formed in Clary's eyes, it was hard to see him like this, being treated by an animal by his own kind.

"What is this Alec?" Isabelle asked, surveying the three seraph blades dug deep into the floor. They created the perimeter of Jace's prison but each of the hilts made Isabelle hesitant to touch them.

"It's the Malachi configuration, Izzy, you can't touch the blades only the person who planted them can, the consequences otherwise are painful." Alec crouched down lown, analysing everything around them trying to find a way around their current  
situation.

"I can hear you I'm gonna try and take off my blindfold," Jace called out, sitting back and raising his knees to his face so he could attempt to remove it. It took him a while, his knees struggling to find purchase and push the fabric away from his eyes but after much frustration, he finally succeeded.

"Do you know if I can touch the blades with my stele Alec? Maybe I can draw a rune that's strong enough to break the barrier." Clary offered, though she somehow doubted it would help.

"No your stele will just cause a reaction and you'll get hurt, the only way out is up." Alec locked eyes with Jace, who looked as if the exhaustion and pain had built up to several tons that were now weighing down on his shoulders.

"Then I'm stuck here, you and I both know I can't get up there I don't have any runes to help me and my hands are bound." His shoulders sagged and he looked away, his gold eyes falling shut as he considered his limited options.

"Jace, maybe you're not Valentine's son but he did raise you and the likely-hood of him doing some kind of enhancing experiment on you when you were a child is very high. Think about it, how many times have you done things physically in the heat of battle that none of us could dream of doing? Hundreds of times. I'm sure you can do it now to jump up onto the rafters." Alec said with conviction, staring the blonde-haired boy down with a fiery gaze as he considered his brother's words.

"Well I'm probably going to die if I don't escape, I could at least try... If this goes wrong I might be sliced in half though, just so you guys know." He gave them a hard look, he'd been resigned to defeat before, now he had been treated to an impossible way to escape. 

Taking a breath he raised himself slowly to his feet, keeping his body low in a crouch. He eyed his perch warily, it was almost exactly over one edge of the barrier imprisoning him but it was also around thirty-five foot in the air. 

Clary shuffled over to Isabelle, running her hand down the girl's arm before interlocking their fingers together. She didn't really want to watch but at the same time, she felt like she owed it to him to observe as he attempted his escape.

He took a final deep breath, his eyes closed as he tried to calm himself. He went rigid and completely still for a moment as if frozen in place and then, his eyes shooting open he leapt upwards with impossible speed and precision, before landing shakily on the wooden beam. For a moment it looked as if he might fall as he swayed backwards and forwards, however his movements ceased when his shoulder found a wooden support beam, being just enough to stabilise him.

He gave them all a terrified look before jumping off of the rafters and landing in front of them with far less grace than he had displayed moments before. He crashed into Alec, sending them both tumbling backwards violently, Alec's head cracking off of the cold hardwood floor with a sickening crunch.

"Dear god Alec why do these things always happen to you?" Clary questioned, rushing forward to push the dazed blonde off of the concussed boy.

"I'm a pain magnet." Alec groaned, sitting up slowly and rubbing the back of his head. 

"Well there's no blood so I think you'll be okay, Izzy do you want to take care of Alec while I break the bindings on Jace's wrists? We're really behind schedule if we take much longer everyone will wonder where we are." Isabelle nodded, glad the situation was under control and both set about their tasks.

Clary moved over to Jace who lay in a hapless pile next to Alec and located his wrists, retrieving her stele from the tactical belt she wore. She tried a simple unlocking rune first and when she was unsatisfied at the response she frowned and began tracing over the lines over and over again. She wasn't entirely sure how her abilities worked but becoming more frustrated and repeating the rune seemed to work and after some time the flames fizzled wildly before dispersing, allowing Jace to finally move his arms again.

"Thank fuck. That is definitely the most uncomfortable I've been in a long time, I was like that for hours. Thanks Clary." He gave her a small smile, waving his arms around and stretching them out. Clary retrieved Jace's stele from the bad Alec had with him and handed it over to the boy, satisfied when he began repairing himself with runes.

By the time Jace was finished, Alec was up and moving and the four set off quickly. The institute was even quieter on their way to the exit, almost confirming Clary's suspicions of the available bodies being dispatched to investigate.

The four remained quiet during the elevator journey and then the walk to Magnus's apartment. Each of them was incredibly exhausted, there wasn't really any need to talk until they were asked to explain when they arrived.

It was pitch black outside but there were no gaps in the overhanging clouds for the stars to peek through and since it was raining, looking would just land her a face full of water. Clary looked at all of the tall shops and apartment buildings, darkened by the rain, to amuse herself as they walked. None of them had had the foresight to bring some kind of umbrella and there wasn't time to stop and apply runes or find one, so they pressed on, the rain drenching their clothes and chilling them to the bone.

By the time they reached Magnus's lit up apartment building Clary felt like she was so cold she could teeth-chatter herself the rest of the way there, rather than walk. 

They left a trail of rainwater all over the red carpet of the entryway and as they waited in the elevator Clary watched with mild amusement as a large puddle collected around their feet, spanning across almost the entire surface of the floor.

They each stepped out, treading through the puddle carefully and Alec used his key to unlock the door, letting them all into the surprising warmth of Magnus's hallway.

"Wow Alexander I don't think I've seen you this wet before, I'm feeling a little hot under the collar." Magnus winked at him, fanning himself with his usual dramatic flourish.

"I guess you guys got some of the worst of the rainstorm passing over, Simon and I were able to avoid it." Raphael commented, eyeing them with a small amount of amusement.

Simon popped out from behind him, his appearance startling Clary for a moment. His hair had been moulded and actually looked tidy for once. His skin was flawless and he stood far straighter than he normally did, he also moved with a fluidity that was most definitely not Simon.

"Hey Fray, I'd hug you but I don't want to smell like wet dog." Simon joked a goofy smile that was entirely Simon revealing his large white fangs. 

"That's fine Simon, no offence but I want a shower first anyway. Everyone else probably feels the same." She gave him a tired smile and looked to Magnus, who nodded.

"Sounds like a plan, let me show you guys your rooms. Alec, you go wash up sweety, I'll order dinner in so we can all eat in an hour." Magnus gave them a warm smile and Clary relaxed, happy to have everyone here before the final showdown that approached.


	17. Respite

It took a while for everyone to shower and recongregate in the living room, Jace was absent when Clary re-entered, presumably sleeping considering the way he had been kept he probably hadn't gotten any and rest would be necessary for him to be able to guide them to Valentine.

Magnus and Alec were lounging together on a low leather couch, Raphael sat in a solitary crimson armchair grasping the arms and listening intently to Simon who sat cross-legged next to him on the floor. Simon was toying with the fluffy white rug the coffee table sat atop, a familiar boyish smile on his face as he reminisced embarrassing middle school moments, clearly engrossed in the life that they had lived. 

"I don't think I'll ever get over how often you change this place around." Clary commented, striding over to the burgundy two-seater that Isabelle occupied. The dark-haired girl's usual perk seemed to have deflated slightly, she was tired, they all were and Clary couldn't wait for the day they could all rest to come, though she knew it wasn't likely to arrive in the near future.

"Clary, did you enjoy your shower?" Isabelle asked, a playful smile making its way to her face. She patted the cushion next to her twice, taking the hint Clary plopped herself down next to the beautiful brunette, pleasantly surprised by the warm arms that immediately encircled her, drawing her back against Isabelle's warm chest.

Simon cut off mid-sentence, looking at Clary with a 'when and how the fuck did this happen and how did I miss it?' look, his mouth dropping open slightly. It was an amusing moment and Clary couldn't help sticking her tongue out at the bemused boy.

"Clearly somebody has a lot of explaining to do in order to catch up a rather astounded but over-all very happy friend." Simon said with a wide smile, his fangs glinting.

"I would be more than happy to, did you guys already fill Magnus in?" Clary asked, searching the room. She had expected Luke to have woken up and appeared to hear what had happened but apparently, he hadn't.

"I see you looking, Biscuit, he's still asleep and these two wanted to wait for you and Jace though I think he might be sleeping too." Magnus looked at her with a soft smile, his hand caressing Alec's arm absently.

"I'm not surprised, to be honest, they had him caged like an animal." Isabelle spat, her arms squeezing Clary tightly as she bristled at the thought. 

"That is the way of the clave. The Clave has a place for vampires you know, where they can direct sunlight onto any part of our skin to torture us or incinerate us completely. That they would devolve to treating their own kind as animals? It's honestly not that surprising to me." Raphael commented, his features twisted with rage.

Clary looked away, feeling sick to her stomach. Nephilim were supposed to protect and kill demons, yet the majority of what they actually seemed to do was torture and belittle the other races that could be helping. Jace had told her that more and more demons came to their world every day, so many that the Nephilim alone could not fight but if they were allied with the people they seemed preoccupied with demeaning maybe they wouldn't need to worry about creating more shadowhunters.

"They had him trapped in the Malachi Configuration, a three-wall prison in which the boundaries are set by three seraph blade markers. The barriers harm and can even kill the prisoner kept inside, it's not supposed to be used and certainly wasn't made to hold Nephilim." Alec pointed out, stretching his arms out and yawning. Of all of them, Alec looked the least tired. Clary surmised that it was probably because of the time he spent with Magnus. After all, everything seemed easier to her when she was with Isabelle.

"It was made to hold demons." Isabelle added, seeing Simon's horrified yet curious look.

"Why would they do that..." He whispered sinking backwards, the bubbliness leaving him momentarily.

"He was Valentine's son and even when she found out he wasn't she still had to take the precautions, in her eyes everything she's doing is justified." Alec explained. "So anyway, the barrier walls are around thirty foot high, we couldn't touch it from the outside and there wasn't any way for us to hoist him out."

"What did you do then?" Magnus asked, his expression puzzled.

"I jumped onto the rafters and then jumped down with the grace of a gazelle." Jace answered, sauntering into the room. His blonde hair was still wet, Clary assumed he had opted to shower after napping, otherwise, he looked a lot better. 

"Ha ha very funny, how are your wrists? There were pretty badly damaged I was scared you'd have pains after healing." Magnus surveyed his freshly scarred wrists briefly, his eyes flicking up afterwards to stare the boy straight in the eyes.

"Well since I feel like you're staring into my soul right now I won't lie, I've had some pain but it's nothing I haven't felt before." Jace gave the warlock a warm smile before sitting cross-legged opposite Simon.

"So you were telling us how Jace escaped?" Raphael probed, moving forward in his seat in interest.

"Jace already told you though, I mean he wasn't graceful at all he fell thirty-five feet from the rafters and landed right on top of Alec." Clary replied, laughing at Jace's crestfallen face.

"You wound me, Clary." He joked, clutching his chest, his eyes comically wide.

"Bull shit, no way. You are joking right?" Magnus sat up, looking at his boyfriend with intense scrutiny.

"It's true Magnus, he even gave me a concussion Izzy had to patch me up."

"Alexander Gideon Lightwood I thought we agreed no more injuries! Why are they so attracted to you in the first place!? Wait, I know why..." Magnus trailed off, rambling to himself, Alec watched him chuckling lightly.

"I've never met a shadowhunter who could jump thirty-five foot in the air, that's pretty impressive," Raphael said quietly, leaning back in his chair.

"Maybe it was adrenaline, seeing people coming to save you gave you a burst of strength, or maybe you just have powers, either way, it's cool, I'm glad you made it out of there man," Simon stated, exchanging a smile with Jace. It was nice to see them getting along for once, they had butted heads quite a lot along the road but both of the boys had been through a lot of recent and could probably find a good friend in one another.

"Thanks, man, hey how's it going for you anyway? Haven't seen you in a while but you seem pretty controlled for a fledgeling." Jace complimented, causing a bright smile to appear on Simon's face once again.

"You think?" He asked, Clary thought to herself that if Simon were still human, he would be blushing.

"Simon has displayed some incredible abilities as a fledgeling, he's almost mastered the speed and strength aspects already and you're right he has amazing control over his bloodlust, it's unlike anything I've seen before, to be honest." He gave Simon a lop-sided grin as he praised the boy, patting his shoulder affectionately.

"I'm not surprised, Simon has always been a peaceful creature, he loves animals and I can't really picture him attacking someone unless provoked of course." Clary smiled, winking at her best friend who seemed to be drowning in praise currently.

"Well, in any case, he seems to be a natural, he's getting the hang of pretty much everything the only thing we're really working on is his encanto at the moment." Raphael laughed as Simon's face fell again. "Don't worry, it's the last trick in the book and you know that one's always the hardest." They smiled at each other again, their eyes connecting for longer than was necessary and Clary wondered if the two were developing feelings for each other.

Magnus caught her eye with a wink and Clary groaned internally, if the two vampires were falling for each-other then Magnus would more than likely get involved, he just couldn't help himself.

"Nice to see everyone here safe and sound." Luke smiled tiredly at them from the doorway and Clary rushed to hug him, throwing her arms around her neck and yelping when he swung her around.

"I'm glad you got some rest, you were starting to look really tired." Clary smiled pulling him over to the group.

"Clearly I need more seating." Magnus said, clapping his hands together. With a flourish, he waved his hands and conjured a second armchair, identical to the one Raphael sat on.

"Thanks, Magnus, how about you guys fill me in on what happened?" Luke seated himself in the chair, sinking back into it with a smile before surveying them curiously.

"Actually, Luke, if it's alright with you I think we should all have that dinner I promised," Magnus replied.

It was Jace's decision to order Chinese food but it being so late Clary wondered how Magnus would be able to pull it off, he didn't disappoint. Rather than calling a local establishment Magnus skipped the wait and summoned their food outright from the country it came from.

His magic would indeed take some getting used to.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After having a pleasant dinner together and filling Luke in, the group decided to get some sleep. Raphael and Simon excused themselves for the night, heading back over to the Du Mort to attend some issues and stay hidden away from the light until the next night when their journey to confront Valentine would begin. Luke headed out to tend to the pack for a while having rested enough to suffice for a while. 

After everyone was finished leaving the remainder of the group said their goodnight's before branching off their separate ways. Magnus and Alec disappeared into their bedroom and Jace left for his room quickly as well, presumably thrilled to have another opportunity to sleep.

Isabelle led Clary down the hall and into a very modern looking bedroom, decorated in matte black, chrome and white. The bedsheets were black and silky looking, the pillows an off-white, the walls had been decorated in silver wallpaper with black cats in all different poses and the carpet was a nice stone grey with several fluffy black mats placed in strategic places all over the room. 

"Magnus is great at decorating," Clary commented, throwing herself onto the bed and groaning out loud when she sank several inches into it. "He also has the most comfortable bed I have ever lay on, I don't think you'll be able to wrench me from it in the morning." She slid off her jeans and crawled under the covers, too lazy to find anything else to wear - not that she'd had the foresight to pack bedclothes.

"I'll have to see for myself, it definitely looks comfy." Isabelle laughed, switching the light off before making her way to the bed. 

"Are you worried about tomorrow?" Clary asked as she felt Isabelle clamber under the covers and move over to her.

"No, I know that my family will have my back. Valentine may be strong, he may have hundreds or thousands of demons but we are stronger. We'll succeed because we have to, or if we don't succeed we'll learn from our mistakes and try again and again until we stop him." Isabelle replied as if the answer was obvious. Clary smiled, Isabelle's confidence was always something she admired about the girl and she secretly hoped that some of that confidence might one day rub off on her.

"Of course... Thanks, Izzy. You have no idea how great you are." Clary found Isabelle's lips with her own albeit with some difficulty in the pitch black of the bedroom. She felt the taller girl's lips smile against her own and as they parted she buried her face in the dark-haired girl's neck, enjoying the close proximity.

"No problem, you don't have any need to worry babe just be confident in your abilities, trust your family and everything will work itself out in the end, okay?" Isabelle rubbed Clary's back soothingly as she spoke, her voice gentle and clear.

"Okay, Izzy... Goodnight." Clary leant up to give Isabelle one last kiss, melting completely when Isabelle's tongue teased her lip before dominating her own tongue in a fierce battle. It was a hot and lust-filled kiss that left Clary hot and bothered, and both girl's panting gently.

"Goodnight Clary." Isabelle kissed the top of her head before rolling onto her side and after throwing her arm over Isabelle, Clary enjoyed her first night as the big spoon, lulled to sleep by the warmth and security of their embrace.


	18. Premonition

_It was dark and she was surrounded by four walls comprised of rusted metal, once painted red yet fading now with age. She could see that her mouth was releasing white-grey clouds as she breathed, a testament to the cold that seeped through her clothing and chilled her to the bone._

_She was sitting in a rough wooden chair, she could feel multiple splinters embedding themselves in the flesh of her thighs and buttocks, her wrists were bound to the cracked and splintered would of the thin arms of the chair with rough frayed ropes, splinters also attacking her wrists and forearms._

_She tried to stay still as her green eyes swept the room, the vision in her left eye as blurred and her eyelid refused to open properly, she assumed that she had been punched or beaten with something but she couldn't remember, she didn't know how she ended up where she was._

_The room was dark, only slightly illuminated by the light of the moon peeking through a square hole in the ceiling. Beyond the hole in the sky, she could see figures of all shapes and sizes circling, she could hear them screeching faintly and though they were far enough away from her to do harm she couldn't help a fearful shiver passing over her._   
_Across from her, a new light appeared, accompanied by a grotesque grinding as the large metal door that she couldn't quite make out before swung open slowly, rusted pieces of metal falling from the hinges and disintegrating as they fell to the ground._

_"You're awake, Clarissa." The gruff voice of her father noted as he stepped through the now open doorway. His broad, tall figure obscured a large majority of the light, shrouding his features in darkness._

_She tried to speak but the words fizzled and died in her throat, never quite making their way through her dry, chapped lips. Her wrists struggled in their restraints pointlessly as Valentine stepped towards her, looming over her with a sadistic smirk._

_"Now, Clarissa. You know that's not going to work, you're weak, weaker than usual right now. I have marked you with a rune to subdue your strength, you knew this was coming. Honestly, Clarissa, I only took the boys life to serve as a lesson to you that you might grow as a Nephilim. However, you took that lesson and morphed it into a grotesque abomination. A true Morgenstern would never allow even their dearest friend to become part of the filth that roams this world." He spat at the floor by her feet, his face overcome with rage for a moment. She wanted to comment on how Luke was still alive if only to rile him up but her attempts at speaking were futile._

_"I know you probably have a hundred things that you'd like to say to dear old dad but I'm afraid there's no time, you see I have another lesson for you today, Clarissa." With a snap of his fingers, Simon was launched into the room. His arms and wrists bound with a strange looking material that Clary could not identify. His mouth had been thoroughly taped and he looked dazed, the blood running down his left temple leading Clary to believe he too had been bludgeoned._

_"Now that everyone is here, let us begin, shall we. There are a few ways to kill a vampire, I'm sure you know but I can assure you we'll go with the longer more painful option that we have." Valentine reached into the breast pocket of his tailored jacket, retrieving a long and curved gleaming dagger, the hilt made of bone and wrapped with a coarse looking rope._

_More light bled into the room as Valentine crouched over her helpless friend. She felt tears, cold and wet, rolling down her cheeks freely. She couldn't bear to watch this again but she refused to leave her friend alone._

_She stared Simon in the eyes, his expression softening as they looked at each other as if to say 'It's okay' but in reality, it wasn't. Clary was going to watch her best friend die, again, she was helpless to stop it, again. The tears flowed quicker and she cringed as Valentine drew the blade across Simons' throat and then both his wrists. He stood up, hovering over Simon with a triumphant smile._

_"Your friends won't be able to save you in time, they're preoccupied above us with my army. You will never win Clary but I can see now that you will never stop trying. You're much like me, in that regard. I apologise for this Clarissa. You are my daughter and I never wanted to have to do this but you leave me no choice, please understand."_

_He was above her then, his large calloused hand stretching out toward her throat. She thought she could see him hesitate for a moment, he looked her in the eyes his expression unreadable. But then he just smiled at her, whispering a soft "I'm sorry." one more time before his hand closed around her throat, crushing it slowly._

_Her eyes scrunched closed in pain before opening wide and staring into Valentine's own black eyes, her lungs screamed for air, burning painfully in her chest. She had never really thought he would kill her, the moment seemed so surreal but as she could feel the energy leaving her, blackness bleeding into the edges of her vision she knew she was going to die. Deciding in her final moments that she wanted to die at least looking at someone she loved, her eyes flicked over to Simon's. She could see bloody tears leaking from his eyes, the struggle having already left his own body, she could feel blood vessels bursting painfully in her own eyes deprived of oxygen. She willed her eyes to stay open but an invisible force weighed them down and she felt herself slipping away._

"Clary? CLARY! Wake up please you're scaring me." Isabelle's high pitched, strained voice pulled her from whatever reality she had been embedded in and Clary awoke with a start, feeling as if her soul had been launched back at her body at a breathtaking speed.

She gasped and spluttered, clutching at the sheets as she drank the air in greedily. Her throat burned and tears leaked from her eyes, warm and wet, leaving glistening trails that prickled coldly in the cool air of the morning.

Isabelle rushed from the room, appearing again moments later with a sleepy looking Magnus and a glass of water. Clary was just regaining her breath when the two found their way to the bed, plopping down with concerned expressions.

"What's going on Clary, I've never seen Isabelle so concerned before?" Magnus asked gently, placing a warm hand on her shoulder.

Clary shook her head, feeling as if she couldn't speak. She sat up in bed with some difficulty, pain coursing through her body as if it were her blood. Her head spun and she feebly tugged the hair that hand entangled around her neck away, the pressure of it causing her anxiety after the dream she had had, that was still fresh in her mind.  
She noted the horrified faces of the two, watched Magnus stare at Isabelle with the same face but she didn't catch on, she only reached out for the cold water that could soothe her burning throat.

"Did you do this Isabelle?" Magnus asked quietly, giving the dark-haired girl a serious, fiery look.

"NO! Magnus, by the Angel I would never do this to anyone. I don't know what happened, I was sleeping and then all of a sudden Clary was convulsing next to me, she wasn't breathing properly so I tried my hardest to wake her up then came and got you. I promise I wouldn't do this." She had tears forming in her eyes and looked utterly helpless.

"Oh, sweetie... I'm sorry, I had to ask though..." He pet Isabelle's shoulder then brought her in for a quick hug before turning back to assess Clary.

"Here, Biscuit, don't drink too much too fast or you might just hurt your throat even more," Magnus informed her, taking the glass of water from Isabelle and handing it to her. She placed the cold glass to her lips, welcoming the cool liquid. After the first sip, she drank greedily, unable to contain her overwhelming thirst any longer. She was mildly unhappy when Magnus snatched the half-empty glass from her hands, tutting and wagging his finger at her as if she were a child.

"Clary, do you remember what you were dreaming about? You have several very concerning marks and we would like to know where they came from before we heal you up okay?" Magnus asked he placed his hand on her cheek, using his thumb to pull down her bottom eyelid. She flinched at the pain she felt in her eyes and blinked rapidly, pulling away from his touch.

"Yes, I remember my dream." Clary replied bitterly, finding a stretching black cat on the wall to stare at so she didn't have to look Magnus in the eyes.

"Come on, Biscuit, I need you to tell me." He said sternly, placing a comforting hand on her right forearm.

"Yeah, Clary, tell us please so I can kick the ass of whoever did this to you, dream or not." A rested and angry looking Jace said from the doorway. She could see his golden eyes observing her neck and felt her hand move to touch the offending, bruised area. It was incredibly sore to the touch and Clary could only imagine what it looked like to the three onlookers observing her.

"Alright fine." She sighed, before beginning to relay her dream to them, leaving no details untold. Truthfully, she felt better after telling them, though the hate-filled expression Jace portrayed as she relayed her story to them made her feel slightly uncomfortable.

"I promise, I will try and stay by you as much as possible. If he tries anything I will find you and save you, Clary. I promise." Jace stated, running a hand through his blonde hair almost lazily. He gave them all a small smile before making his way out of the room, nothing more to say on the subject.

It took fifteen minutes for the combined efforts of Magnus's magic and the Iratze that Isabelle drew on her to fully take effect. She had some bruising on her wrists and neck, as well as small pin-prick scars on her forearms. She assumed her thighs would look the same.

"How are you feeling, Clary? I think you'll be okay now, so I'll probably go back to bed I just want to know that you're alright before I go." Magnus's voice was laced with concern and Clary smiled at him warmly, appreciative of all of his efforts.

"I've never had any effects carry over from a dream before, so I'm a little rattled but I'll be okay, Magnus. Get back to bed, Alec will be wondering where you went."

They shared one last smile before Magnus exited the room on a quest for more sleep. Clary fell back against the soft mattress and let out a long breath, her eyes closed.

"You had me scared there, Clary." Isabelle said gently, laying back down next to her. While it was true that the morning had already broken, most of the current inhabitants of Magnus's large apartment were exhausted and would rest until past lunchtime, aware of the mission they would embark on that evening.

Clary frowned, she wasn't sure how she felt about their mission. After between the rattling way her father had acted and the large amounts of flying demons she had seen in her dream she wasn't feeling all that optimistic.

Deciding not to think all the darkness surrounding their current endeavours, Clary rolled onto her side to face the beautiful woman that lay next to her.

"I know, I scared myself, to be honest but I'd rather not think about that just now. Maybe there's some way you could distract me..." Clary reached out and dragged her index finger down the middle of Isabelle's chest teasingly, a dark blush coating her cheeks the entire time. She watched Isabelle's already impossibly dark brown eyes darken further, lust clouding them and Clary could feel a familiar heat building in her core.

She secretly loved how easily Isabelle turned her on, with so much as a look or a kiss, it was exhilarating and Clary wanted to explore their physical relationship more.

"Are you sure you know what you're asking for, Miss Fairchild," Isabelle replied, her voice low and gravely. Clary squirmed under her gaze, feeling the blush spreading outward past her jawline.

"N-no, but I want to find out." Clary whispered, watching intently as Isabelle teased her bottom lip with her brilliant white teeth, surveying her as if weighing up her options. It was only a moment later that Isabelle had Clary on her back, straddling her pronounced hips, her slender hands firmly grasping Clary's wrists, pinning them above her head.  
Clary groaned, a haze coming over her vision. She looked up at the dark eyes of her captor, biting her lip timidly. She felt exposed but she liked knowing that she was at Isabelle's mercy in that moment, she knew the brunette would try to take it easy on her.

Isabelle kissed her then, forcefully at first but with growing passion. The kiss allowed the two to convey their emotions, displaying all of their doubt, affection, confusion and trust. When they parted Clary whined, feeling cold without the dark-eyed girl's lips pressed to her own. She wiggled her hips under Isabelle's weight, her wrists shifting in Isabelle's grasp, she watched as the brunette grinned, her hair hanging around them like dark curtains, the morning sun casting a gentle sheen over the brown waves.

She felt Isabelle adjust so that she held Clary's wrist firmly with one hand, almost shaking in anticipation as the dark-haired girl's slender fingers blazed a trail down her arm, around her breast and over her stomach. Clary's breath caught in her throat as the girl's warm, soft fingers brushed over her stomach and ribs, mapping out the offered expanse of skin expertly. She felt herself melting beneath the other girl's touch, willingly sitting forward as the brunette relieved her of her shirt.

The cold air hit her skin immediately, raising goosebumps all over her exposed skin. She blushed as she watched dark eyes rake up and down her body, drinking in the sight of her. She allowed herself to be pushed back gently again, her eyes falling shut as she felt the silk of the bedsheets against her back and arms. She smiled up at Isabelle, placing her now free hands on the girl's hips and holding them firmly as the tall girl leaned down to capture her lips in another fervent kiss.

When they parted again Clary was breathless, however, Isabelle continued kissing a line across her cheek without missing a beat. She pressed her lips gently to the area below Clary's left ear, her breath brushing over Clary's neck in a way that only added to the heat in her core. She gasped, biting her lip as Isabelle took her earlobe in her mouth, sucking and nibbling it gently for a moment before moving down to the red-haired girl's neck.

Clary allowed herself to become lost in the dark-haired girl's teasing, gripping the girl's hips until her knuckles were white. Isabelle kissed every inch of Clary's neck, pausing to lick and nip her every so often before moving across her collarbones, her fingers finding their way under the edge of Clary's bra to stroke at the soft skin underneath.

Clary could feel her breathing picking up, arching off the bed as a practised hand found her already hardened nipple and began pinching it gently. She felt Isabelle's other hand work it's way under her, unclasping her bra with expert precision. Clary blushed at Isabelle's smile as she removed the garment, the feeling of exposure growing, however, she was quickly distracted again by Isabelle's warm mouth covering her remaining exposed nipple. Clary moaned out loud as Isabelle's silky warm tongue glided over her sensitive flesh, biting down on her bottom lip in an attempt to quieten herself.

She felt the dark-haired girl giggle, her free hand roaming across Clary's stomach and over her already exposed thighs. Clary's body began to shake, Isabelle's actions had her more wound up than she had ever been before, she was certain if the girl continued she would lose all sense.

"Izzy..." Clary moaned as the girls free hand passed over the crotch of her underwear, sending a jolt of pleasure through her. She was certain the dark-haired girl had felt the wetness that had accumulated there and she blushed profusely.

"Wow, Clary. You're so wet for me." The dark-haired girl commented, smirking at the growing blush on her partners' cheeks. Clary bit her lip and turned her face to the side in response, attempting to hide from her lovers gaze. "Don't worry, I like it. It's hot," the girl continued, pausing her actions to rest her fingers on Clary's chin and turn the girl to face her once more.

Isabelle kissed her passionately, her hands resting on Clary's stomach and Clary took the opportunity to slide Isabelle's shirt up over her head. She gazed at Isabelle, her eyes sweeping over the lightly scarred but otherwise unblemished skin. She tossed Isabelle's shirt to the side, her hands immediately gravitating towards the girl's stomach where she began to feel and memorise all of the curves and grooves offered to her. She was pleasantly surprised to feel Isabelle's defined abs, built up from years of training.  
Clary's hands made their way to Isabelle's back, pulling her down into another kiss. She moaned into the taller girl's mouth as she felt her partners' fingers dip into the waistband of her underwear, teasing the skin of her thighs devilishly before sliding the underwear down over soft thighs. Clary blushed crimson, fully exposed to the older girl. Isabelle gave her a small smile before she too removed the last of her clothing.

"Let's lay under the covers." Isabelle suggested, her lust filled voice like music to Clary's ears. She nodded her agreeance, pulling the covers back and sliding under them.  
Isabelle crawled over her, the duvet hanging from her back. She was lying propped up by one hand, her right leg between Clary's, the majority or her weight resting on her left hip. Clary was overwhelmed by the amount of Isabelle's skin that touched her own, she could feel the wetness on Isabelle's thigh's, all fueling her desire.

"Do you want me to touch you, Clary?" Isabelle asked quietly, her breath ghosting across Clary's throat the flapping of a butterflies wings.

"Please, yes." Clary gasped out, distracted by the warm hands that began stroking and massaging her thighs.

Isabelle's soft fingertips glided up the inside of her thigh, brushing over the short fluff of Clary's pubic hair before delving into the wetness that awaited her. Clary cried out, the feeling of Isabelle's fingers sliding over her swollen clitoris overwhelming her. Isabelle's warm mouth covered her own quickly, her index finger circling the swollen bundle of nerves tantalisingly. Clary could feel her body shaking as jolts of pleasure passed through her with every circling motion. She parted from Isabelle, panting for breath as the girl quickened her motions, moving to place gentle kisses along her collarbones.

Clary's hands found the soft bedsheets, scrunching them tightly in her hands as she threw her head back, the pleasure building in her compressing slowly like a tightly wound spring. Soft moans escaped her, her hips bucking upwards against Isabelle. She could feel the orgasm building up as if she were making her way up a steep cliff in order to jump off into the depths below.

Isabelle kissed her again, more passionately this time, her rhythm slowing momentarily. Clary's body shuddered against Isabelle's, her hardened nipples brushing tantalisingly against the exposed skin of Isabelle's chest. A moment later she felt Isabelle's finger plunge inside of her, a groan rumbled in her throat. She could feel Isabelle's breathing quicken against her, her finger sliding in and out of Clary's warmth at a steady pace. Clary writhed underneath her, her toes curling, legs tensing as she tightly gripped the bedsheets, completely at the mercy of Isabelle's practised hands.

A second finger was added, the pleasure intensifying sevenfold sending Clary into a spiral. Her eyes rolled back, head pressed firmly into the pillow as her back arched up into the dark-haired girl above her.

Isabelle brought her intensely close to her orgasm, small waves of pleasure coursing through her with every thrust of the brunette's slender fingers. Then, Isabelle curled her fingers, thrusting as deeply as she could into the red-haired girl. Clary cried out as a peculiar feeling filled her to the brim. Her body shook and spasmed, her core twitching violently as she reached her release. She moaned Isabelle's name, reaching up to grip the dark-haired girl, pulling her tightly against Clary's sweating, panting body.

Every fibre in her tingled and she struggled to right her breathing. Isabelle stroked her hair gently, grinning tiredly at her partner.

"That was fucking amazing," Clary commented breathlessly, her hands running over Isabelle's naked flesh idly. She felt the dark-haired girl hum in approval, moving to rest her head on Clary's shoulder.

"I'm tired now, though." She murmured, her eyes sliding closed.

Clary kissed Isabelle's forehead gently, a fulfilled smile on her face. "I love you, Isabelle Lightwood." She said quietly, allowing her own eyes to fall closed, her arms closing around Isabelle.

"I love you too, Clarissa Fairchild."


	19. The Fight Begins

When Clary next woke up she found the bed empty, though she could hear the shower running and see a soft yellow light shining into the room from the ajar bathroom door, steam billowing out. The room was darker and colder than she had expected, shivering she wrapped the duvet around herself, checking her phone for the time.

It was seven o'clock, much later than Clary had expected, the sun would already be disappearing, explaining the dwindling light. Resigning herself to get up, Clary swung her legs over the bed, her feet meeting with the fluffy black rug. She had stashed her black overnight bag at the side of the bed and after unzipping the bag she retrieved her shadowhunter gear from it. She located her stele, which was lying neatly atop her crumpled jeans on the floor, she reached down for it her warm fingers closing around the cool material.

The bathroom door swung open and Isabelle sauntered into the room adorning her black leather armour and tactical belt. Her hair, still wet, hung heavily around her shoulders and she surveyed Clary with an adoring smile.

"Good morning sleepy, did you sleep well?" She smirked and Clary blushed, feeling like her partner might be eluding to her part in Clary's fitful rest.

"Yes I did actually, I'm going to grab a shower I didn't realise it was so late. I'll see you in the lounge? I'm sure Luke and Magnus will be making food arrangements by now." With a smile, Clary planted a kiss on her girlfriends' lips before making her way into the bathroom, determined to get her shower out of the way quickly in order to eat. Her stomach grumbled in anticipation at the mere thought of food and Clary was sure they would all need a lot of energy for the battle to come.

She spent no longer than ten minutes in the shower, washing her body and hair quickly. It was nice being under the hot cascade of water, however, Clary's body already felt more relaxed than it had in months and she saw no reason to linger for any considerable time under the massaging spray.

Once her body and hair were towelled dry and the shower was switched off, Clary slipped into her underwear before wriggling into her leather gear. It clung to her body in a way that was both tight and breathable, allowing for easy movement. She clipped the belt around her waist, slotting her stele into the small holster before once again rummaging through her overnight bag in search of her witchlight stone. 

Once she was as equipped as possible, Clary zipped up the bad, sliding her cell phone into an available trouser pocket before heading out of the room, closing the door behind her with a soft 'click'.

She could hear the chatter immediately from the hallway, the rest of the house was a lot warmer than the bedroom she had shared with Isabelle, presumably because of the multiple bodies that occupied the space currently.

"That really happened?" She heard Luke's concerned voice above the others for a moment, intrigued she padded slowly down the hallway towards the lounge.

"Yeah. I was passing by the room and saw the commotion going on, I don't know what it means really if it happens in any capacity I will slit his throat without a second thought." Jace's voice was cold and filled with anger, though he seemed to be calmer than he had previously.

Clary wondered what the others made of her dream and the physical marks she had taken from it, it wasn't something she had ever experienced before and Clary wondered if there was any magic at play.

Clary moved into the room, pleasantly surprised to see Raphael and Simon already waiting with everyone else. She flashed them a smile, feeling encouraged by the large grin and the polite smile that Simon and Raphael responded with in turn.

"Hey guys, sorry I took so long," Clary remarked, plopping herself on Isabelle's lap. Alec and Magnus were bunched up next to them with Raphael and Simon on the couch opposite. Luke and Jace each sat in a respective armchair, both nursing a glass of scotch.

"We were just discussing what happened to you last night," Luke said, peering at her curiously over the rim of his glass, his eyes searching her exposed skin for any remaining marks. She shrank away nervously, grateful when Isabelle's slender arms wrapped around her waist, holding her tightly.

"I heard. It wasn't fun, I wondered if it was possible that magic was involved?" Her eyes flicked over to Magnus, her eyes searching his face as he mulled over the possibility. 

"It's definitely possible that a warlock or possibly a demon could have projected the dream onto you. I think it's more likely that you had a very vivid premonition that came in the form of a dream. It's been known to happen in a select few Nephilim over the centuries, not something that has happened in any recent decades but that normally just means a Nephilim with special gifts is bound to pop up eventually and I would definitely say you have special gifts, Biscuit." Magnus looked thoughtful for a moment afterwards before giving a half-hearted shrug. "Unfortunately there's no way to know unless it happens... and I would really rather it didn't." He gave her a worried look, his eyes glossy and for a moment Clary thought he might cry. He composed himself quickly, pinching the bridge of his nose, his eyes squeezed firmly shut.

"Either way we have to stay on mission tonight. One way or another Valentine must be stopped, whether we kill him or detain him. Jace now's the time. How do we get to Valentine's hideout?" Luke analysed Jace curiously, his eyes locking with Jace's gold ones.

"You're right it's probably time... Valentine is on a large freighter ship on the East River. I had to fly there on a demon energy running motorcycle, so I don't know how we'll get there without something similar. He has wards up around the boat, demons in the sky and on the deck of all different kinds. It's almost impossible, it would be better if we could portal directly onto the ship but the wards won't allow it." Jace took a drink, lost in thought. It did sound like it would be difficult to get to her father but that was probably the way he wanted it, she wouldn't allow herself to be thrown off course by his iron-clad defences.

"Well we know we're going to the East River so that's a start anyway, I think I know how we'll get around it but it means I'll be unable to fight alongside you." Magnus gave Alec a sad look, his boyfriend always managed to find himself in trouble and it would be hard to let them all go without him being there for emergencies but it seemed like the only option. "Luke after we eat I need you to get your truck down onto the dirt path that goes along the east river then text your location, we'll come to meet you."

"Why my truck?" Luke asked, a puzzled look crossing his features.

"We'll need a vehicle big enough for everyone."

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It was half an hour later they emerged through the portal onto the bank of the river. Luke stood leaning against the door of his truck, his arms crossed over his chest and a large full looking duffel bag at his feet. The plaid jacket he wore appeared to be keeping him warm enough and Clary felt mildly jealous as a shiver passed through her. The night air was cold, darkness had fallen for the most part, large dark clouds covering the sky around the city. It was early enough that cars still passed by on the road above them but Clary doubted the drivers would see them.

"Time to get ready." Luke said quietly, reaching down to open the duffel bag and hand out an array of seraph blades and daggers. The gathered Nephilim nodded in response, taking the offered weapons. Jace paired with Alec to apply runes and Isabelle took the lead with Clary. They applied countless runes to each other in the hopes of safeguarding as much as possible. Stamina, strength, agility, protection, night vision, accuracy, awareness, flexibility and speed being among them. Clary felt as though her spirit were imbued with limitless mystical power when they finished, she had never worn so many runes at the same time before and the power coursing through her felt amazing.

Afterwards Luke took Clary to the side, reaching into the duffel bag one last time to pull out a leather-sheathed sword, about the length of Clary's forearm. "I had this made for you, Clary. Normally Nephilim pass down family weapons as heirlooms but since Jocelyn didn't have one for you I thought it fitting that I design one for you instead." He smiled warmly, handing offering the blade to her. She took it from him, admiring the leather-clad handle and the gleaming wings that extended from the base of the blade. She slid it from its' sheath, surveying the beautiful blade. It was black down the centre, with golden gleaming runes that fortified the blade, the razor-sharp edge shone a brilliant unmarked silver, it was perfect. Sliding it back into the sheath, the hilt clicking against the metal guard at the top of the holster, she fastened the sword to her belt alongside the three seraph blades she had already stowed there. 

"Thanks, Luke. It's a beautiful blade, I promise I'll take care of it." They shared a warm hug before turning back to the group, finally ready to leave.

Raphael and Simon had already climbed into the bed of the truck when they finished and following suit Clary hopped in, offering a hand out to Isabelle in order to help her climb in as well. Luke swung open the drivers' side door, ducking into the cab and shutting the door with a firm swing that let out a bang that resonated in the air around them. Simon cringed away from the door, his hands flying to his ears so fast Clary normally wouldn't be able to see it, however, with her increased night vision and enhanced senses she caught the entire fluid movement.

"Sorry, the super-hearing still bothers me sometimes," Simon commented, smiling sheepishly.  
Alec clapped his shoulder as he squeezed into the bed of the truck with them. "It's fine Simon, it'll take a while. Geez, it's cramped."

Magnus slid opened the passenger side door, sliding into the middle of the bench style front seat allowing Jace to hop in afterwards. In an act of good will, Jace closed the door quietly, waving off the offered thank-you's from the gracious vampire seated in the back.

The three shadowhunters in the back waited patiently, unable to hear what was happening in the cab as the three decided what they were doing. After a moment the glass in the back window of the cab slid to the side, Magnus's mischievous face smiling at them through the small window. 

"Hold on tight guys, we're going for a ride." The warlock warned them before disappearing back into the cab, his spiked up glittery black hair still visible to them.

Clary could see the flash of Magnus's painted nails and the sparks of magic surrounding his hands as he moved them before the truck began to tremble and lift slightly. Clary frowned, looking over the side of the truck bed. She could see an almost blue looking veil around the wheel she sat over, turning back she looked at the others with her brow raised quizzically. They each shrugged in response, unaware of what was happening.

Suddenly the engine roared to life and all of the passengers were thrown towards the back of the truck, each finding a groove in the surrounding metal walls to hold onto as the wheels spun and they tore off into the water. For a moment Clary panicked, thinking that they might sink but as she looked over the side of the truck she realised that was not the case. 

The surface of the water churned and rippled as they sped over it, river passing beneath them in a flurry of blues and greys. Looking back into the cab she could see Magnus reaching out, a flat plate of sparkling magic parallel to his palm. He moved his hand from side to side, as if searching methodically for something.

After a few minutes of driving, the bank of the East River passing farther and farther away from them until they could no longer see the lights of the cars, Magnus yelped, slapping Luke's shoulder and causing the man to hit the brakes. They slid to a stop, Luke turning to Magnus with his brows furrowed.

"Can you sense something?" Clary heard Luke say quietly "I can smell something and I can tell you right now it doesn't smell good."

"Yes, my magic has been probing I think we've found the edge of the wards, they're a lot more complicated than I thought they would be I doubt they were put up by a warlock, the energy knitting the wards together feels almost... malevolent in origin. It might not take much energy to deconstruct them but keeping them down will be another matter entirely, I don't know how long my magic reserves will hold out." He turned to face Alec, a serious look passing over his features.

"Magnus, remember the note I asked you to send last minute? I want you to send it now before you take down the wards. Tell him it's urgent and he needs to send people as fast as he can. They should be able to trace your magic." Alec shared a look with the yellow-eyed warlock, who nodded once in response before turning back into the cab to scrawl a short message onto a page of his small notepad. He clicked his fingers, watching the note become enveloped by a bright flame before disappearing.

"Okay, I'm going to start now, once the wards are down you'll need to get a little closer and survey the boat, see how you'll be getting over there."

The group murmured their agreeance, Clary's hand nervously moving to grasp the hilt of her new blade as Magnus began to work his magic. It took quite a while and the tension in the air between them was palpable as they all watched the warlock.

It took a while, but as if a fog they hadn't noticed before were clearing up before their eyes the form of a huge boat began to take shape. Directly above the boat a giant circle shaped break in the clouds let the moon and stars shine down and in the light, they offered Clary could see that just as in her dream hundreds of thousands of creatures swirled around the boat seemingly without any proper direction. She grasped the hilt of her blade tighter, crouching down.

She heard Simon gasp beside her, could see the fear in his eyes as he traced the movements of some of the larger demons.

"They're hideous." He said quietly, almost jumping out of his skin when the engine picked up again and Luke began to drive towards the boat.

After a few moments of the truck roaring loudly, Magnus waved his hand, silencing it. It was a far shorter drive, coming up the boat and after a few short minutes Luke cut the engine and they slid to a stop. There was a rusted and dangerous looking ladder that stretched up one side of the boat that looked like their best point of entry. 

Luke and Jace clambered out onto the bonnet, both looking towards the deck that surrounded their entry point in an attempt to gauge how many creatures they might have to fend off. Neither gave away anything as they turned to face the group, expressions unreadable.

"We'll go in teams of two-" Luke began, cut off by a blood-curdling screech that came from above them. Clary's head snapped up in time to massive talons coming down towards her, she felt Simon next to her, attempting to shield her as best he could. She freed her blade from it's holster, slashing upwards violently spraying them with demon ichor as the blade slashed easily into the top of the leg of the beast.

Though she felt as if she had caused sufficient damage the beast continued downward, one taloned foot grabbing her roughly, four razor-sharp claws piercing her flesh. She refused to cry out, stabbing upwards once more as the beast flapped it's large wings and took off once more. She heard Simon scream next to her, the creature had two talons embedded in his leg and he swung violently, dangling helplessly as the demon took off towards the boat. 

She could hear Isabelle and the others yelling from the boat and watched as Raphael, Izzy and Jace each jumped into the ice-cold water, Luke following closely after. She watched them resurface and begin the swim towards the boat before the deck obscured her vision of them, taking her and Simon further and further away from the security their friends.

Feeling helpless, Clary stowed the sword away in its sheath again and reached up to grasp the hard-scaled leg that held her, pulling upwards in an effort to relieve some of the pain in her shoulder and chest. She could feel the blood, warm and sticky, running down the inside of her armour, spreading outward. If she didn't apply a rune soon, she might pass out.

She felt an odd wave of relief come over her as the large beast above her began its descent down through a large square opening in the boat, she could see all of the individual layers as the flew downward, could see the hundred of demons prowling the catwalks and stairways. A shudder passed over her as the demons stopped to observe them as they passed.

"Hang in there Simon!" She yelled, catching his eye for a moment. She hoped he had heard her but there was no way to tell with the wind rushing past her ears.

The beast slowed to hover over a familiar looking open hatch before dropping them suddenly. Clary let out a cried of pain as the talons ripped free from her flesh and she plummeted to the hard metal floor, a sharp feeling of pain registering in her temple as the world around her went black.

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Isabelle struggled against the cold of the water, her weighed down clothes restricting her as she swam towards the ladder. She could see Jace clambering up onto the ladder and helping Alec up between the splashes of water that obscured her vision. As she neared the ladder Luke climbed up, turning to offer his hand to her once he had cleared the first few rungs.

"Thanks." Isabelle gasped, breathlessly, her wet hands slipping on the rough rusted rungs of the ladder. She took a moment to find her stele, applying a warming rune before pocketing it smoothly and starting her ascent. The rune worked quickly and helped to dry off her palms making it easier to climb upward.

She cursed to herself mentally, they should have been prepared for demons to notice them, they could sense them a mile off and now they had lost both Clary and Simon and had no clue of where the beast had taken them. 

Above her, Jace and Alec sprung up onto the deck. Her brother readied his bow with practised ease and began firing at a swarm of flying demons headed straight towards the ladder.

Luke threw himself upwards with inhuman strength, catching the top rung of the ladder before launching himself over onto the deck with ease, clearing the way for Isabelle to climb. 

She quickened her pace, determined to make her way up the ladder and find Clary as fast as possible. As she neared the top she felt claws graze against her back, happy when Jace launched forward swinging a blazing seraph blade above her head, the small creature dying with a horrifying squeal. 

"Thanks, Jace." She smiled as her brother helped her up onto the deck. She readied her whip in her dominant hand, holding a seraph dagger in the other and joined in the fighting.

Luke had gone full wolf by the time her feet hit the deck and when her eyes found him she was surprised to see him ploughing through demons, tearing them in half mercilessly with his teeth and claws, growling the entire time. Raphael and Alec fought side by side, providing back-up for the somewhat terrifying wolf.

Jace and Isabelle shared a look, shrugging before running to the open metal doorway that appeared to lead into darkness. They were ambushed by several demons along the way, Jace dispatching two immediately with one wide arcing sweep. One closed in on Isabelle and she thrust her arm backwards, burying the dagger deep in the beast's chest before ripping it out violently, ichor spreading out in an arc around her as she did so. She caught the leg of another demon with her whip, ripping the creatures leg out from beneath it before pouncing and driving her dagger into the beasts eyesocket.

Jace flipped over her, landing lightly on his feet and engaged the two remaining demons with a seraph blade in each hand as Isabelle removed her dagger. As she turned she watched Jace embed a seraph blade in one of the demons through, the demon disintegrating into black dust immediately and with a graceful twirl he decapitated the remaining demon.

Satisfied the two made their way through the open doorway and onto a metal grill catwalk that framed a large descent. There were multiple stairways, corridors and rooms coming off of each level, leading Isabelle to panic. What if they couldn't find Clary and Simon in time?

"Izzy, remember Clary's dream?" Jace asked in a whisper, peering over the edge into the abyss below.

"Yes, she said she could see the moon and the stars above her. Do you think he's keeping them down at the bottom of this... place?" She responded quietly, eyeing the darkness with suspicion.

"I think it's worth checking out, yeah." He replied and they set off down the nearest stairway. 

The metal walkway's creaked and groaned as they descended but they made their way down the first two levels with little effort.

"I think I can see the outline of something down there," Isabelle said, her Nyx rune working in overtime as she struggled to focus on the faraway gleam. "I can't make out what it is though."

"Do you hear that Izzy?" Jace whispered urgently, pausing to grab her shoulder. She waited for a moment, straining her ears to try an hear what he was talking about. Sure enough a moment later she heard various sets of scuttling coming from above them, she shared a look with Jace her eyes darting to the stairway in time to see a Drevak demon scuttling toward them.

"Someone is tracking us." Jace commented, his face serious as he sprung into action. Isabelle took post at Jace's back, watching three more Drevak demons approaching, blocking the pathway ahead of them. She let Jace set to work on the demons behind them and advanced on the three blocking their path, whipping each of them harshly as she approached creating deep lashes in their disgusting wriggling bodies. She threw her seraph dagger at the far left demon, smirking as it pierced easily through the demons head causing it to explode in a shower if ichor. Its' friends beside it bristled and screamed, advancing on her in a fury. She lashed out pinning one down with her whip and quickly flipped over them, grabbing her dagger from the floor and burying it in the restrained Drevak's head. 

Jace sprinted over to her, finished with the demons that had congregated on the stairs and sliced the remaining Drevak in two lengthwise, making a disgusted face as the two halves fell to the side before disintegrating.

"That's just nasty." He stated, his face still scrunched up in disgust

"I'll tell you what's worse." Isabelle said, her face like stone as she stared past her brother at the new creature that now advanced towards them.

"Oh for the love of the Angel what now?" He asked, turning around dramatically then stopping dead in his tracks.

Towards them came a demon the appeared to be around nine foot tall, it's misshapen crude looking head cocked to the side, rotting flesh hanging from its giant skeletal frame.

"Oh come on, not this fucker again."

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Clary came to slowly, her temple pounding like a rhythmic bass line. She groaned and attempted to roll to the side but found that she couldn't.

"Fray, are you alright?" Simon's voice croaked from the corner. 

"Dunno yet." She slurred, feeling delirious. It took a moment for her vision to kick in again and she was displeased to find the effects of her night vision rune had faded already.

"I don't know what he did to you, these things held me down and I'm tied up with this material I can't break, he drew a rune on you though I saw it I just don't know what it does." Simon said quietly, attempting to shuffle closer to her.

"This isn't like my dream though, it's different you weren't already in the room with me and I couldn't speak." Clary forced the words out, her voice hoarse.

"Sounds like you're struggling to speak to me." Simon remarked, giving her a funny look. She attempted to shrug but feeling the splinters attempting to burrow under her flesh she refrained.

The skin around her wrists burned where the rope connected with her skin, she was aware of rope around her waist and ankles which were all tied incredibly tightly.

"I'm going to die here, Simon." Clary whispered quietly into the room, her chin falling to her chest as her head drooped in defeat. 

"That's not true, Clary. Our friends will come and find us, Isabelle will come for you. Don't worry Clary." He said gently, looking at her with wide, sad eyes.

"I never got to tell you, Isabelle and I are dating now." Clary paused, unable to stop herself from grinning.

"I gathered that, have you had sweet lovin' with her, your face makes me think you have." Simon wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing a crimson blush to bleed into Clary's cheeks. Simon's eyes went wide. "Ohmygod you have Clary that's awesome you must really trust her." A dorky smile broke out on his face and for a moment she was glad he was restrained, were he not he'd probably be hugging her much too tightly at that realisation. 

Clary sighed "Don't expect any details though, Simon, it's private." She stuck her tongue out at him, feeling smug when his face scrunched up in distaste.

"Honey, no offence, but no." He laughed and she stared at him for a moment, weighing up her options.

"Is that because you're gay for Raphael?" She teased, pleased with herself when his eyes widened and he attempted to hide his face.

"What no, why would I? No..." He stammered, looking anywhere but at her.

"Uh-huh sure..." Clary began but was cut off by a horrendous scraping ahead of her. Her heart clenched and she slowly turned to look at the door, beads of sweat gathering on her forehead. Simon fell silent, cowering away from the light bleeding in from the doorway.

"You're awake, Clarissa." The gruff voice of her father noted as he stepped through the now open doorway. His broad, tall figure obscured a large majority of the light, shrouding his features in darkness.

She surveyed him quietly, her eyes keeping contact with his as he crossed the thresh-hold, making his way toward her. Her wrists struggled in their restraints pointlessly as Valentine loomed over her, his mouth in a tight line and barely contained fury blazing in his eyes.

"Now, Clarissa. You know that's not going to work, you're weak, weaker than usual right now. I have marked you with a rune to subdue your strength, you knew this was coming. Honestly, Clarissa, I only took the boys life to serve as a lesson to you that you might grow as a Nephilim. However, you took that lesson and morphed it into a grotesque abomination. A true Morgenstern would never allow even their dearest friend to become part of the filth that roams this world." He spat at the floor by her feet, the fire in his eyes blazing higher for a moment. 

"Luke is still alive, he's also ten times the man you are, Valentine." Clary spat back, her eyes narrowed.

"Lucian was a failure on my part but after tonight that shouldn't be a problem any longer." Valentine ground out, he sneered at her, turning back towards the door to retrieve a large bowl.

She glared at him, willing him to come back over and waste more time on her but he ignored her, reaching into the tailored breast-pocket of his suit to withdraw a long and curved gleaming dagger, the hilt made of bone and wrapped with a coarse looking rope.

"As much as this is a lesson for you Clarissa, this is also business. I'm sure you know by now, I only need vampire blood to complete the ritual. The plans that I have laid out are too grandiose for me to take pity on you or your friend, they are all I have left after losing your mother." He turned to give her a pain-filled look, it was then she noticed the large sheathed sword upon his back, she looked at him in disgust.

"Your plans are flawed. Maybe the Clave does need to be redirected but not in the way that you plan. Your plans are destructive and will do seldom more than tear our race apart." Clary spat, her words laced with venom. He gave her a blank look, shrugging as if her words meant nothing.

"You are a stubborn girl, Clarissa." He stated calmly, surveying her for a few moments with a thoughtful expression before continuing with what he started.

More light bled into the room as Valentine crouched over her helpless friend. She felt tears, cold and wet, rolling down her cheeks freely. She couldn't bear to watch this again but she refused to leave her friend alone.

She stared Simon in the eyes, his expression softening "It's okay, Clary" he said quietly, a nice gesture amongst the chaos surrounding her, she knew it would not be okay. Clary was going to watch her best friend die, again, she was helpless to stop it, again. The tears flowed quicker and she cringed as Valentine drew the blade across Simons' throat and then both his wrists. He stood up, hovering over Simon with a triumphant smile.

"I'm so sorry Simon." She cried, sobs rattling her frame as she watched Valentine catch the blood spilling from Simon's throat in the large golden bowl. It made a sickening sound as it poured, causing Clary's stomach to clench and churn.

"Your friends won't be able to save you in time, they're preoccupied above us with my army. You will never win Clary but I can see now that you will never stop trying. You're much like me, in that regard. I apologise for this Clarissa. You are my daughter and I never wanted to have to do this but you leave me no choice, please understand."

Her green eyes connected with his black ones as he stood again, Simon's blood dripping from his hand. The dagger clattered to the ground as he stepped towards her, a sorrow filled expression painting his face.

"I'm sorry, Clarissa."


	20. Lurking Death

Abbadon kept Isabelle and Jace busy for what felt like an eternity of Jace slashing and Isabelle sliding through the demon's legs to whip and restrain the beast while her brother worked, parting afterwards to repeat the process. It went on endlessly, the beast howling at the injuries it sustained, continuing to come for them over and over again with more fury.

Isabelle was frustrated almost to the point of crying, worry curdling the contents of her stomach as each minute passed, bringing the possibility of her lover being injured or even dead ever closer. It was then that back-up arrived, throngs of shadowhunters far more experienced than them pouring into the battle. It was Maryse, Alec and Inquisitor Herondale that found them, leaping over the two tired shadowhunters as they paused for breath, taking the beast head-on.

“Jace, Isabelle, we can handle this. You need to find Clary!” Alec yelled, exchanging a short emotional glance with Jace as he released several arrows at the recoiling beast.

“We will find you and Valentine after, good luck,” Imogen commented meekly, an odd look passing over her face as she looked at Jace.

The two had no time to question her behaviour and Isabelle took the lead, barrelling down the stairs towards the shape she had seen before. As she drew closer she could see that it was a wide, open hatch that led into a dark space, she paused to throw Jace a pointed look.

Sparing no time, the two grabbed the rusted wrought iron railing that framed the stairs they currently occupied, jumping up onto the thin surface with grace and precision before dropping to the metal surface before.

Isabelle heard scuffling from beneath them and without a second thought launched herself through the opening, colliding with a rock-solid figure and dragging them to the ground as she tumbled to the cold corrugated iron floor with far less grace than she had displayed moments before.

She heard Jace land lightly behind her, a strange noise coming from his throat as he readied his seraph blades before him.

“Jonathan.” She heard a man whisper beside her before the tall figure scrambled to his feet. He leaned over a motionless body, retrieving a large metal bowl. Dark red liquid splashing out of it as he moved to the door and rushed from the room, swinging the heavy metal door shut with a screech behind him before he fled.

“Valentine.” Jace ground out, his teeth grinding together. For a moment Isabelle thought he might give chase but after surveying the motionless body that she assumed was Simon he made a frustrated noise and crouched over the boy, his friends' life taking priority.

Isabelle got to her feet and turned towards the chair in the centre of the room. Clary sat in it, her wrists, ankles and waist bound with rope so tight it dug into her soft flesh. Her chin sat against her chest, her long red hair spilling out around her, unmoving. Isabelle moved forward cautiously, staring at the red-haired girl's chest as she neared in an attempt to see the movement of breath. She did not.

Isabelle crouched over Clary's small frame, her hand reaching up to prop up the girl's head and raising the knuckles of her other hand to the girl's nose.

“Is she…?” She heard Jace ask, he had propped Simon up against the wall and pulled back the neck of his t-shirt.

“She's breathing, I'm going to do what I can she might be able to heal herself better if I can wake her up,” Isabelle replied softly, throwing Jace a quizzical look.

“He needs blood.” The blonde-haired boy said, staring into her eyes. “His wounds started to heal but he ran out of energy before his body made any significant progress, if I can get him to drink he'll be able to heal, I can bring him back, Izzy.” He became quieter as he spoke but Isabelle could tell by the look in his eyes that he sincerely wanted to save Simon.

“I won't look.” Isabelle offered, turning away from her brother and retrieving her stele from the tactical belt around her waist. She traced over the fading Iratze symbol on Clary's pale skin and frowned, noticing a strange looking rune on the girl's throat that she'd never seen before.

She let her fingers brush over the skin, recoiling at the intense heat rising frown the skin, her brow furrowed.

She didn't know what the rune was but she was certain it wasn't good.

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The world rebuilt itself around Clary very slowly. 

At first, she felt an almost fuzzy sensation in her ears, her ears popping loudly a moment later, startling her. She heard soft voices that she couldn't quite make out as if the people speaking were far away. 

She strained to make out words or sentences to no avail, only managing to identify whom they belonged to. She could hear Isabelle's angelic voice, her ears completely attuned to the wavelength her voice emitted. Jace was there as well, his voice was harder to determine but after a moment she was sure. For a moment, she thought she'd heard Simon's soft voice but she dismissed the thought immediately. After all, she had just watched him die for the second time. There was no coming back from that.

Next, the feeling in Clary's body started coming back, she felt her fingers and toes up to her wrists, a sharp pain accompanying the spreading feeling. It only took a few moments for Clary to feel like her body was hers again, she wished it wasn't, the pain in her throat and temple throbbing endlessly.

A moment later she felt cool metal against her wrist, accompanied by a pinch as her hand was released. She let it fall down onto her lap, her fingers twitching, the energy to move her arm non-existent for the time being.

“Clary, are you waking up?” She heard Isabelle ask with concern as the girl freed her other wrist.

Clary focused all of her energy into opening her eyes to look at the girl who saved her, her eyelids feeling completely weighed down by some invisible force. 

After a moment her eyelids parted, the process becoming much easier afterwards. Her vision was blurry at first, different coloured shapes blurring and melding in front of her for a few minutes as her eyes attempted desperately to focus.

“Izzy?” She gasped, her eyes darting from side to side as she tried to determine where the dark-haired girl was.

“I'm here babe.” She said quietly, Clary could hear the smile in her voice and let the corners of her mouth lift up in response. Then she felt the taller girls' slender fingers cover her own, could see the outline of her crouching before her.

Clary's vision began to clear, her eyes falling on Isabelle's soft, worry-filled brown orbs as the rest of the room came into focus around her.

“The rune didn't work properly did it?” She heard Jace ask from the corner, standing with his hands crossed over his chest and blood dribbling down his neck.

“It's that rune, the one on her throat. Valentine marked her with it.” Simon's tired voice came from the floor beside Jace. 

Clary looked down slowly, disbelief filling her to the brim as her eyes found their way to Simon's form, lazily slumped against the wall. Blood soaked his shirt and neck but the wound she had seen Valentine inflict, long and wide with jagged edges, had healed to the point where it had become a thin scabbed line across his throat.

“Simon you're alive.” Clary cried, fresh tears spilling over her cheeks as she stared at his alive and smiling face.

“You too.” He replied simply, his smile unfaltering.

“Clary I need you to lean your head back, I'm going to draw a line through the rune. I looked at it before, it's not something I've ever seen and the heat from your skin around the marked area is indescribable. I'm pretty sure this is going to be sore.” Clary could see the emotional turmoil in Isabelle's eyes as she spoke, Clary reached out for the dark-haired girls' hand and squeezed it gently, giving the girl a reassuring look before lifting her head back to expose her throat to the girl.

After a second she felt Isabelle's soft hand press to her neck, the cold tip of her stele making contact with Clary's throat, an inch or two down from her chin. Clary swallowed, feeling the stele shift as she did so. Isabelle drew the line in one swift motion and for a moment it seemed as if nothing would happen. Clary lowered her head, raising her eyebrow inquisitively.

A second later a searing pain passed through her body, surging outwards from the rune and wrapping her body in a cloak of fire. She let out a shriek, her eyes flying closed as her face scrunched up and her fingers recoiled into her hands, the nails digging into the soft skin of her palms. She felt her whole body sweating as if her body temperature had raised to critical. Her brain throbbed inside her head and she could hear the blood rushing in her ears, her muscles spasmed violently and her bones burned as if they had been wrapped in thick cords of lava. 

It lasted for several minutes in which nothing else around Clary existed but the pain, it blurred the lines between fiction and reality. She was unable to think or feel anything but the terrible burning pain until she felt like her eyes might turn to liquid in their sockets and her teeth clenched so hard she could feel them shifting in their beds. 

With a final gasp of pain, it ended and Clary felt her body go limp in the chair, refusing to open her eyes as she felt ghosting short spasms of pain wrack her frame.

Amidst this she felt Isabelle's stele press to her skin once more, tracing the outline of a rune she vaguely registered as an Iratze. She felt small, warm droplets of water falling onto her skin as the girl traced over several other runes surrounding it.

The Iratze provided much-needed relief and after a few minutes, she reopened her eyes to Isabelle's pain-filled expression. Her red painted bottom lip quivered violently and tears poured from her sparkling brown eyes. 

Clary felt her heart clench and with a sudden burst of strength jumped to her feet and pulled the dark-eyed girl against her, cradling the back of her hand as she did so.

“Jace and Simon ran off after Valentine. Jace couldn't take it, seeing you like that.” Isabelle said, her broken voice spreading ice through Clary's veins.

Isabelle wrapped her arms around Clary's waist and brought them round to the front of her stomach, fastening the leather sheath of the sword Luke had given her to her waist.

“Show me where they went.” She whispered, drawing the rune emblazoned sword from its holster and holding it steadily in her right hand. The pain still wrapped her body, provoking her on in her endeavours.

Isabelle retrieved a seraph dagger and tore from the room, Clary following closely behind her. They ran down a long corridor, passing countless open doors and patches of fresh demon ichor as the progressed. 

“Clary! Iz!” She heard Alec call from behind them, she stopped dead in her tracks, her hand grabbing Isabelle's wrist, effectively stopping the other girl in her tracks. 

The sight that greeted her when she turned around confused her greatly but she opted not to question it. Alec, Maryse and Imogen Herondale barrelled towards them in full gear, weapons readied. It was the first time she had seen Maryse in shadowhunter gear and for the first time, she could see how alike Maryse and Isabelle actually were in terms of looks. Her eyes darted to the dark-haired girl beside her, casting her a surprised look before returning to the oncoming trio.

“Where is Jace?” Maryse asked, stopping next to Isabelle to put a hand on the girls' upper arm, her expression unreadable as she gazed at her daughter.

“We don't really have time to discuss it, let's go,” Isabelle replied with an exaggerated roll of her eyes before she ran off towards the stairs at the end of the hallway again, Clary hot on her heels.

They could hear swearing and the clashing of swords as the descended the stairs, taking multiple steps at a time.

“TELL ME THE TRUTH!” Jace's voice screamed, his voice cracking.

They entered the largest room they had come across yet, all of the various tables chairs and random pieces of machinery had been pushed up to the sides of the room creating a large space in the middle. In the middle of the room, Valentine and Jace fought each other, Jace's seraph blade screeching and clashing off of the soul sword violently as the two sparred, aiming vicious blows at one another yet blocking them easily.

“The truth is that you're not my biological son, Jace. I took you and raised you as my own, I moulded you into the warrior you are today. In that sense I am still your father but make no mistake, you are still disposable to me. You have rejected my cause and endeavoured to thwart my plans every chance you get, acting like a petulant child. I can't afford to treat you kindly any-more it serves no purpose to me.” The tall man replied in a taunting voice, his black eyes flashing dangerously.

Jace let his guard down for a moment, giving Valentine all of the opportunity he needed. As Jace's sword arm fell to his side Valentine lunged forward, bringing the point of the hilt down sharply onto Jace's temple before grabbing the blonde-haired boys throat and launching him across the room.

Jace slid to a stop in front of them, his eyes rolling about in their sockets as they tried to refocus.

“Ah, Clarissa. You are just like your mother, you know, always showing up at the last moment to spite me.” Valentine glared at her, his mouth set in a tight straight line.

Looking from Jace to Valentine, Clary's vision cloud with rage. She lunged forward, slashing her blade upward to meet with Valentine's downward blow. She set her palm against the flat side of the blade and pulled towards her, giving some slack before pushing up with all of her strength. Valentine fell back, the soul sword embedding into the metal floor as he spilt the golden bowl that sat at the make-shift altar behind him.

He stood up quickly, the vein in his forehead pulsing and twitching violently as he surveyed the spilt blood around him. Suddenly, he kicked the bowl across the room, sending the last droplets of Simon's blood flying in all directions as it careened into the wall and clattered the floor with a hollow sound.

“Clarrisa, you don't know when to stop,” Valentine said quietly, eyes flashing dangerously.

“No, Valentine, you don't know when to stop.” Maryse retorted, stepping forward to defend the girl, her face set in a furious expression.

“You're done for, Valentine. There are several of us and only one of you hear, you won't manage to wriggle away this time.” Imogen eyed him with an icy stare, her seraph blade trembling in her hand as she restrained herself from killing him.

“Shouldn't you be tending to your injured grandson, Imogen, I thought family meant so much to you.” He sneered, his eyes darting to Jace and back, then lighting up at the recognition that dawned on the woman's face. 

“Enough!” Clary yelled, throwing herself towards her father once again, determined to kill the man before he found another weapon.

The next few events went by in a flash, Clary drew closer to Valentine her blade pointed towards his chest. Clary meant to follow through but her eyes locked with her fathers as her blade pierced the skin of his chest, she saw the odd smile in his face and hesitated, the tip of her blade barely two inches into his chest. Her mouth opened and shut rapidly as she attempted to process the situation and the spreading grin on Valentine's face.

“Clary!” She heard Isabelle yell from behind her, however, no matter how much she tried she couldn't wrench her eyes away from his.

“Clarissa, you've come so far as a Nephilim. You adapted to our ways well, however you forget the most basic rule of hunting in the shadows.” He sneered down at her, his fingers wrapping around the blade and pushing it from his chest easily. “Always follow through.” He said sarcastically, his strong arm pulling her against him, signature smirk gleaming in Clary's face as his free arm drove downward, a dagger piercing her back.

Tears immediately welled up in her eyes as she was discarded, thrown to the side in a similar fashion as Jace had been. Her shoulders and back collided with the floor, her legs flying up over her head as she tumbled onto her stomach and slid along the harsh metal floor, her face and body scraping painfully as she slid to a stop under a table at the side of the room. Collecting herself, she passed a hand over her mouth, seeing her own blood coating it when she pulled her hand back to inspect.

Swearing to herself mentally she grabbed her stele and found a fresh patch of skin, applying a small iratze in the hopes of healing whatever damage she had done to her face. Her nose burned profusely and she focused in on the ensuing battle while she waited for the rune to work.

Jace had sat up and begun looking for his seraph blade, itching to jump back into the fray. Maryse and Imogen went head to head with Valentine, who had retrieved the soul sword and was fighting them off easily with an amused look on his face, Alec providing covering fire all the while... Isabelle rushed over to Jace, handing him his discarded seraph blade and whispering into his ear for a moment. 

Clary wondered what they were talking about, she felt exposed without her weapon and scanned her surroundings in an attempt to find it, frowning when she could not locate the blade.

Thinking quickly, Clary retrieved a spare seraph blade from her belt, her eyes sliding shut briefly as the angelic weapon hummed in her grip.

“Sariel.” Clary whispered, feeling the energy surging from her fingertips into the blade as it blazed to life. Steadying herself with her free hand, Clary rose to her feet surveying the ongoing scene. Jace had jumped in again and the three blade-wielding Nephilim danced around Valentine, parrying blows and jabbing at the man who appeared to be growing tired. Beads of sweat clung to each of their foreheads as the battle raged on and Clary found that they were focused enough for her to quickly cross the room to Isabelle.

“The cup, it's on the altar.” She stated breathlessly, eyeing her father as he sliced Jace's shoulder with the large blade.

“I'll try and get it away with my whip.” Isabelle replied, moving toward the altar cautiously.

Behind them, Valentine broke away from the trio he had been fighting and charged toward Isabelle, Maellartach raised in his hand ready to strike. Clary threw herself to the side, bringing Sariel up to meet with the soul sword. The blow weighed down on her heavily and her left arm crunched painfully as she attempted to shield herself.

“I can't let you get that cup!” Valentine screamed, his face red with anger as he once again sent Clary flying through the air. 

She hit an exposed metal wall with a sickening thump, her head cracking back against the metal painfully. Raising a hand to her head to cup the injured area Clary watched helplessly as Isabelle fought Valentine off, the cup flying from her hands. To Clary's relief, a well-timed arrow from Alec pierced Valentine's shoulder and seeing his father's grip on the sword loosen Jace lunged forward, knocking it from his father's hand with a triumphant look.

Undeterred, Valentine threw his fist forward, connecting with Jace's face soundly. The blonde-haired boys' cheek rippled and his head flew to the side, his body lifting from the ground from the momentum of the punch, sending him a few feet backwards where he landed painfully on his back.

“You won't win.” Valentine spat, advancing on Maryse and Imogen who stood in front of the sword, attempting to protect it. 

Clary could see Maryse' handshaking violently, her seraph blade wavering in her grasp. She could see the concern-filled expression on Alec's face, she needed to act fast.

Wrenching her stele free of its pocket in a fit of emotion, Clary pressed her stele to the cold metal wall of the ship, pressing hard against it as she poured all of her emotions into the rune she traced.

“Clarissa, what are you doing?” Valentine's voice was panicked, she could hear him step towards her in uncertainty and grinned to herself. 

“Open, open...” She chanted to herself softly, her eyes squeezed tightly shut as she worked, the rune burning behind her closed eyelids.

The boat began to shake and tremble, dust and debris falling from the cracks where the metal joined. Satisfied with her work, she stepped away from the molten shining rune allowing her father to see what it was that she had been doing.

“Mene Mene tekel Upharsin.” Valentine murmured, his eyes glued to the rune gleaming on the wall. 

A violent screeching filled Clary's ears and her arms flew to cover them. She could see the others scrambling to reach for their stele's as the metal behind her began to tear apart, the bolts and screws flying from their homes as the metal split with a terrible grinding sound, the entire side of the room de-constructing and falling apart into the water which crashed in through the open side, swallowing Clary whole and carrying her from the boat as it was destroyed by the power of her rune.

Scraps of metal of all shapes and sizes penetrated the water around her, leaving white bubbly trails behind them as they plummeted downward alongside her. She held her breath for as long as possible, focusing on the light of the moon shining on the water above her. She could make out other people and creatures around her in the water but couldn't identify any of them.

For a moment as Clary looked ahead of her, the held in breath burning intensely in her lungs, she thought she could make out the golden shimmer of the cup.

Unable to hold her breath any longer Clary's lips parted, water rushing to fill her mouth immediately. It made it's way to her lungs, filling them quickly as she kicked and writhed in the water helplessly.

'I'm getting tired of all these near-death experiences' she thought to herself, black splodges appearing in her vision, the pain that had been building up in her body taking over completely.

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Isabelle swam downward in the lake in search of Clary. She had tried to watch where the red-haired girl went as the boat disintegrated and had a rough idea of what direction she fell, though she could feel the underwater breathing room slowly sapping her strength away.

Worried thoughts and horrible scenarios passed through her mind one after the other, occupying her mind completely to the point she felt like it might drive her mad. She should have been there beside Clary to protect her yet she had failed the red-haired girl yet again, putting her in peril.

She could really feel the strain by the time she found Clary, laying on the lake-bed, her eyes closed and her face deathly pale. Wasting no time she dove for her partner, taking hold of her firmly with one arm before kicking off of the sandy bottom, propelling herself towards the surface.

Isabelle pushed her thoughts to the side as she kicked upwards hard, struggling to carry the weight of her lover to the surface. It took a long time to reach the surface and when she finally bobbed up, her lungs greedily drinking in the fresh air, she knew she didn't have the energy to swim to the truck. The cold of the water seeped through her armour, setting a chill in her veins as her stress levels rose.

“Luke!” She called out hoarsely, panic coursing through her veins. Her eyes darted about, head whipping back and forth as she searched for the truck or a close by boat, her eyes falling on the stretched out expanses of water the boat had occupied previously.

“Isabelle! We're here, behind you!” Luke called out, her own panic echoed in his voice.

She managed to turn herself and Clary around in the water in time to see Luke and Simon jump into the water, making their way over with inhuman speed. Simon gripped Isabelle gently allowing Luke to take hold of Clary before they paddled back over to the truck.

Jace released the hatch at the back of the truck-bed, extending a hand to help everyone back onto the truck where Isabelle immediately crawled over to Clary, her head falling onto the red-haired girls' chest. 

She strained her hearing, the others waiting around her quietly as she waited. Her face lit up with relief as her ear located the faint beating of her lover's heart.

“She's still alive,” Isabelle choked, tears spilling from her eyes yet again. 

“Magnus we need you to help her.” Luke said softly, his eyes on the yellow-eyed warlock as he and his lover climbed into the bed of the truck.

“I'm really low on magic...” He whispered, his eyes shining.

“I can give you energy.” Alec offered, his gentle blue eyes meeting with his lovers' yellow orbs, a concerned expression crossing his features.

“Me too.” Isabelle said firmly, setting her eyes on the warlock.

“We all would.” Simon encouraged, his face filled with sorrow.

“Okay then. Alec, take my hand. If you guys want to help make a chain, I can draw energy from all of you at once. It should replenish my magic quickly, not to mention all that love will help her heal.” Magnus sniffled, flashing them all a warm smile before taking his lovers' hand and hovering the other over Clary's chest.

Isabelle took Alec's other hand quickly, offering hers to Simon who in turn offered his to Jace. Luke was the last to join the chain, clasping Jace's hand firmly. 

Their hands clenched suddenly, locking in place. A strange feeling overcame them, it was as if their spiritual networks were being knitted together, their energy flowing freely between one another. Isabelle let her eyes fall shut, surrendering her energy for Magnus to take. A moment later an overwhelming feeling of draining overcame her and overwhelmed by curiosity Isabelle cracked her eyes open once more, stifling a gasp at the scene going on around them.

Around their connected hands swirled millions of tiny pink particles, whirling and passing down the line like the leaves of a cherry blossom tree being blown down a grassy field. She let her eyes fall on Magnus, whose face was strained and drenched in sweat. A small ball of soft pink energy was visible beneath his palm and where it connected with the area directly above Clary's heart, it spread out in waves over her body, circling around her creating a gentle glow that lit up her features beautifully.

She watched as gorgeous green eyes opened once again, relieved that for now at least it was over.

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“Magnus?” Clary asked in confusion, staring up at the tired friendly eyes of her favourite warlock.

“Yes, biscuit. It's me.” He replied with a soft smile, offering a hand to gently help her up.

“Where is Raphael?” Clary asked in alarm as she surveyed the almost whole group surrounding them.

“He got injured and when back-up arrived I got him the hell out of there.” Luke explained, pulling Clary in for a quick hug. “I need to get back in the front and drive us back to shore, Okay?” He gave her a smile and kissed her forehead quickly before climbing back into the front accompanied by Magnus. A few moments later they took off toward the shore, moving quickly across the surface of the water.

“The sun is rising.” Clary commented quietly, looking up at the lightening sky and the clearing clouds with mixed feelings. She doubted there would ever not be a threat to her or one of her friends' lives and there had already been a dozen today so why not one more? She let the depression bubble up within her, the universe seemed to want Simon dead and she didn't know what to do about it.

“It's okay, Clary. I'm just glad I got to see you okay at the end of this.” He chuckled, sitting beside her and bumping her shoulder with his.

“Don't say that Simon, you know I'm not going to be okay...” She whispered letting her eyes meet with his. Despite this he continued to smile at her, shaking his head from side to side.

“Come on, Fray. You know I'm on borrowed time now.” He grinned, throwing his arm around her shoulders casually and shrugging his shoulders.

Clary felt Isabelle sit on her other side, taking her hand to stroke the red-haired girl's knuckles with her thumb.

“It'll be okay Clary.” Isabelle said gently, squeezing the fingers that she held once in an attempt to support her.

“Besides, I can't pass up this opportunity to see the sunrise one last time.” Simon joked, leaning back against the side of the truck.

Clary sighed, letting her head fall back next to Simon's, tilted to look at the rising sun. They stayed like that for around half an hour, Simon on one side and Isabelle on the other as they watched the sky turn light blue. Alec and Jace sat quietly at the end of the truck-bed, Jace's arm thrown over Alec's shoulders in a brotherly manner.

Finally, the sun peeked out from beneath the horizon, casting the first warm rays of light on the world around them. Tears formed in her eyes as the light fell over Simon and he closed his eyes, accepting the universe's decision, waiting for the burning to start.

It never did.

The sun rose high above them and they waited but nothing happened.

The truck jostled as it fell a few inches down onto the dirt of the riverbank, kicking up dust behind them as the tires found their grip.

“I guess today's not your day to die, vampire.” Jace commented, flashing his white teeth as he smiled at Simon.

“I guess not.” The happy vampire responded, returning Jace's smile with a beam.

Clary closed her eyes, relaxing back against the truck and letting her head fall onto Isabelle's warm shoulder, satisfied that they were finally safe.


	21. Aftermath

_The world around her smouldered away, blue flames devouring every inch of combustible matter in a narrowing circle around her. Already she could feel the heat blistering her skin, the temperature rising with every passing moment._

_In the distance, Clary could hear whispers calling to her in a language she did not find familiar yet understood implicitly at the same time. The hushed voices whispered sweet promises of release from her torture._

_She struggled against the restraints holding down her wrists, hearing the splintering creaking of the chair as it shifted beneath her. She couldn't escape._

_The fire swole and spat at her, the circle less than a meter from her. She screamed as her clothes and hair burst into flames, melting to her skin. She wanted desperately to call out to the voices, express to them that she would give anything but she couldn't._

_Her mouth refused to open, stopping any words before they were ever created in her throat._

_"There is no way out of this, Clarissa..."_

Clary's head whipped to the side and she fell from the bed, landing on her tailbone with a resounding thud, the plush rug beneath her doing little to shield her from the pain.  
Afterwards came the rustling of bedsheets accompanied by the soft ruffling of fibres as Isabelle cautiously padded around the bed to her.

"Clary I'm sorry I panicked... I-I couldn't wake you up." Isabelle stuttered, her hand gripping her wrist so tightly her knuckles turned a brilliant white.

"What are you talking about?" Clary questioned, attempting to push aside the residual burning she felt over her entire body. She was vaguely aware of the sweat that gathered on her temples and neck. She felt a cold clamminess coating her skin, yet more evidence of the dream that floated around her mind in snippets. The pain she felt in her dream almost perfectly emulated the pain from Isabelle disrupting the rune, except this time the pain seemed far worse. Subconsciously her right hand raised to her throat, her slim fingers extending outwards allowing the tips of her index and middle finger to brush over the offending area.

Before they had crawled into bed, too exhausted to even file the mission report, Clary had taken a moment of privacy in the bathroom. She had hoped that the rune would already be fading however the reflection that stared back at her in the mirror said otherwise. The inky black of the rough looking rune had been as present as if freshly drawn and though Isabelle's strike through it was still just as visible Clary could only see the mark underneath. She had stayed in the bathroom for a further fifteen minutes, her back to the cold porcelain of the toilet in an attempt to calm the waves of anxiety that rolled over her.

"Well, you were whimpering in your sleep and then out of nowhere you started thrashing around, you almost punched me a handful of times. Honestly, I didn't know what to do, I couldn't wake you up so I just slapped you." Isabelle commented, yanking Clary from her reverie. The brunette's eyes were cast downwards, surveying the floor as if it were the most interesting thing she had seen in a long while. 

"Thank you, Iz," Clary returned, letting all of her gratitude for the strong-willed girl coat her words. Ignoring the shaking that persisted in her body Clary planted her feet beneath her and braced herself against the bed, rising shakily. 

"Maybe you should have a shower?" Isabelle recommended, closing the gap between them in an instant at seeing her partner struggle. Her gentle hands found Clary's waist and began steering her toward the bathroom. "Will you be okay?" Isabelle asked, concern apparent in her sparkling brown eyes as she lingered in the doorway, uncertainty displayed on her face.

For a moment her eyes gravitated towards Isabelle's, seeing nothing but love and concern in them. Clary allowed a smile to creep onto her face, a light blush surfacing on her cheeks as they gazed at each other. Unable to resist the pull of Isabelle's personal gravity Clary shuffled forward, her hands clasping together with Isabelle's slender warm ones. She pulled the dark-eyed girl towards her, satisfied when the taller woman's body pressed fully to her own. With a hefty sigh, she tucked her head beneath Isabelle's chin, her ear pressed to the girl's chest. Clary closed her eyes, losing herself in the steady thumping of Isabelle's heart beneath her ear.

"I think I'll be okay, breakfast after?" Clary asked finally, separating herself from the warm sense of safety her partner provided.

"You bet." Isabelle retorted, the corners of her lips tugging up into a small smile. Warmth blossomed in Clary's chest at the sight and unable to resist, she leaned in for a chaste kiss before allowing her lover to leave. 

The click of the door closing behind Isabelle flicked a switch inside Clary, she let her face fall, attempting to rub the itchy tiredness from her eyes and ultimately failing. She sighed to herself, discarding her clothes haphazardly on the floor and climbing into the shower.

Clary turned the gleaming silver tap to the side, adjusting the shower to a far colder setting than she usually liked. She shivered for a moment under the spray but soon adjusted. She stood quietly, hopping from one foot to the other thinking to herself, her mind clouded with the thoughts of everything her father had said and done. She wondered if he even had the capacity to love more than one person. From what she had observed of Valentine it truly did seem like he loved her mother. No matter what views Jocelyn had of him, what she did, he still wanted to be with her, he hadn't _genuinely_ wanted to harm Jocelyn and since her death, his emotions had spiralled significantly. Valentine's love of Jocelyn was one of the few things he hadn't twisted.

Yet the relationship he had with Jace as his son was nothing alike. He viewed Jace as his possession, his creation. He had attempted to preach that he cared for the blonde-haired boy but when it came down to it he had no qualms about hurting him or even killing him if he had to.

Clary wasn't sure where she fit in. Valentine had commented about the similarities between herself and her mother, yet he still seemed to despise her. She wondered if Valentine blamed her for it all, or if the only relationship they were ever meant to have was supposed to be abusive. 

Clary turned her face toward the oncoming droplets of water. They splashed against her eyelids and cheeks, the cold working to wash away the tiredness that set in her features and assisting the residual burning pain in ebbing away, washing it down the drain with all of the negative thoughts at the forefront of her mind.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

By the time Clary had finished with her morning rituals, her more depressing thoughts locked away in the darkest compartment of her brain for another time, the others had already gathered in the sitting room and were engaged in watching a show on the TV. She smiled to herself, poking her nose around in the fridge for something to eat. She could hear familiar sounds playing out from the entertainment display next door and loosely identified them as belonging to one of the criminal investigation shows she used to watch with Simon all the time.

Not really finding anything appetising on the glass shelves before her, Clary opted to simply grab an apple before heading through to the other room. The guys paid little attention to her as she entered the room but Isabelle's eyes found her immediately, watching Clary with rapt attention as she crossed the room to plop down onto the couch next to the dark-haired girl.

"I was beginning to think you might not show" Isabelle joked, easily falling into a comfortable position next to the red-haired girl, one arm draped around her artists' small shoulders. 

Clary smiled up at Isabelle, her head falling back on the girl's shoulder. 

For Clary, the events of the night before played back in her mind over and over again. Since she had learned about her shadowhunter heritage tragedy seemed to follow behind her like a dark cloud, just when she thought she was finished dealing with one situation another occurred and the emotions continued to build up inside her, threatening to overflow.

In front of her, a fire roared on the television screen as two agents struggled through the burning wreck, instinctively she flinched away from the sight, her eyes drawn to the fidgeting hands in her lap.

"Clary, I think you need to tell me what happened," Luke noted, turning the TV off with the click of a small red button before tossing the black remote onto the coffee table.

Clary could see Jace sense beside Alec, his hand flying to his neck as an odd look passed over his usually smug features. Clary chuckled softly to herself, at least she wasn't the only one hiding something.

Turning to Luke, Clary struggled to form the words in her throat, she let her eyes drift to Isabelle's and then to Jace's as if silently pleading for them to help her.

"You guys were taking care of things on the deck so Isabelle and I slipped away into the boat, we wanted to find Clary as quickly as possible." Jace started, his golden eyes appraising Luke as he spoke, trying to gauge how much to tell the werewolf. "We got cut off by Abbadon, it delayed us significantly, we couldn't get away until back-up arrived." Clary could hear the regret in Jace's voice, with every word it became harder for him to speak.

"When Alec, mom and Inquisitor Herondale arrived they took over for us and we managed to get away again. By the time we made it to the room Valentine was holding them in Simon's throat had already been slashed and Clary..." Isabelle's eyes shone and the girl hesitated, her bottom lip vibrating as she struggled to contain her emotions. "Clary was limp, she was barely breathing, beaten and bruised. It was one of the hardest things I've had to see but it couldn't compare to what happened after."

Clary looked back and forth between Isabelle and Jace for a moment, neither of them appearing to want to continue the story. To Clary's surprise, the image of a rune flashed behind her eyelids, gone in the blink of an eye. She slammed her eyelids shut and concentrated for a moment, willing the simple rune to resurface. When it did, she instinctively grabbed her stele and traced it on her skin before stepping towards her father figuring and extending her hand out to him.

Luke looked at her inquisitively for a moment, one brow arched in a quizzical manner as he reached out to clasp Clary's offered hand.

The moment their skin connected Clary felt her eyes roll up into her head almost painfully, she could feel her mind stretching outwards and meeting with Luke's, the connection straining her head painfully rousing a thumping headache.

She heard a strained gasp fall from Luke's lips as the memories played systematically before their eyes. Showing Luke the disrupting of the rune, the battle with Valentine, sinking into the water, touching the inky black rune in front of the mirror and the anxiety attacks that followed, then finally, the dream.

Feeling disturbed by her lack of control over the situation Clary put all her strength into wrenching her hand free of Luke's. She fell backwards onto the floor, suddenly aware of the multiple sets of eyes trained on her. She felt tears prickling at her eyes, her vision blurring as the tears threatened to spill. She hadn't wanted Luke to see the vulnerable moment she'd had in the bathroom, or the effect it had on her. 

"Clarry... I..." Luke started, his own eyes shining dangerously, his composure threatening to crack. "I felt everything the pain, how you felt." He ground out, so many emotions passing over his features that Clary couldn't follow them.

"It's not that bad," Clary said passively, pushing thoughts of the rune marring her throat to the back of her mind. She worried her lip between her teeth. It surprised her how much better she felt after sharing the experience with Luke, it comforted her to know he knew exactly what she had gone through, though she still wished she had been able to keep some moments private.

"Clary, I hope you believe me when I say I'm proud of what a strong young woman you've become. If you need to talk about anything don't hesitate to ask me" Luke elucidated, falling back into the comfy armchair he had been poised in, his expression fatherly, and full of concern. He watched her for a moment, his eyes piercing into hers and then in a decided twist, he turned to Jace. "So Jace, do you want to tell me how Simon survived and can now walk in the daylight."

"He was dying, I let him drink my blood," Jace answered, his voice much calmer than he looked as the words passed his lips.

"I see... That was a very honourable decision on your part, then." Luke praised, giving the blonde-haired boy a kind smile, not missing the look of relief that passed over the boys face. "Just be sure you understand it might have some backlash on Simon if people were to find out, we need to make sure he understands that before he goes gallivanting around in the sun. There are plenty of people who would kill to know how he does it. Anyway, we're going to be taking the next week for recovery, no complaints about it, the Clave will be busy scouring the waters of the East River for the Instruments lost there but I doubt they will find them. Either way, Valentine will need time to regroup and redirect his plan so I predict he'll be quiet for a week or two as well, we'd be as well take the time to make sure we're all healthy and get some training in before we attack this case again." He surveyed them with a sad smile before heading out of the room, presumably ready to hand in the report to the Inquisitor.

"Every time we come close to Valentine he wriggles away from us but he also becomes more manic with every plan we ruin. It's only a matter of time before we get him for good, once he's dead I'll be able to rest easier." Jace yawned, stretching backwards and thumping his heels down onto the coffee table.

Clary toyed with Isabelle's soft fingers, stealing quick glances of the beautiful girl beside her. Luke's short speech was a reminder that Valentine was still out there, though Clary couldn't help but feel achieved in their small victory. By interrupting Valentine's plans they had delayed him again and bought more time, however, it was entirely possible that Valentine's next plan could lead to an all-out war, with the Clave becoming more and more involved it was hard to tell.

"Whatever he throws at us next, we'll get through it as a family." Alec smiled, his blue eyes gleaming in the soft light of the room.

"Alright, I can't stay awake I'm sorry guys." Clary uttered sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck for a brief moment before rising from the couch, a slight swaying to her form.

"Back to bed then, have fun boys." Isabelle chuckled, her hands finding Clary's waist to once again guide the unsteady red-head.

"Thanks, Izzy." Clary breathed once they crossed the threshold into her room. She made her way straight over to the bed and flopped onto it unceremoniously. The corners of her lips twitching as her partner snickered.

"What's next for us, Clary?" Isabelle asked nonchalantly as she climbed into bed. It was still daylight but Clary was so exhausted she didn't care and Isabelle didn't seem to mind either.

"I don't know but whatever we do next will be amazing no matter what, as long as you're there," Clary replied, her tone full of love and adoration.

"You're too cute. You believe in us that much already?" Isabelle's soft warm arms drew Clary under the covers and up against her toned body. Clary had to suppress an appreciative whimper at the contact. She relished the closeness of her partner, nuzzling the pale skin of her neck affectionately.

"Well, the Seelie Queen said we're soulmates, I've no reason to doubt that." Fatigue seeped into her words, Isabelle's warmth pacifying her into a sense of safety. It felt as if her eyes were being willed closed by an unseen force.

It didn't take long for the girls to drift off, each content to sleep in the safety of the others arms.


End file.
